Starting to Live
by Un-Forgettable Random-ness
Summary: AU. Cagalli, at the age of 16, is devastated after the death of her Father. She deals with moving in with her twin Brother and his adoptive Mother. Now alone she has to manage her grief, fitting in in a new high school and handling emotions and care of the people around her.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_As we enter this world we are promised two things, life and death itself. From the moment we take our first breath, life has been given and now we are born to live for death. For some, it comes too early._

"Cagalli, wake up dear." That motherly voice echoed through her head consistently, pulling her out of that drowsy state from on going nightmares. The voice sounded so familiar, yet she couldn't seem to reach it from where she was. Darkness enveloped her but every time the voice called it was like a sliver of light breaking through. "Cagalli. You'll be late for school."

Her bed sank slightly at the corner and her eyes fluttered open to meet a woman's Motherly face.

Mrs. Yamato nudged the resting slump hidden beneath the duvet of brightly assorted colors. She was smiling that same smile she did every morning, day, or night and it warmed Cagalli and brought her back from the nightmares.

A smile graced the woman's lips as she saw the teens eyes pop out over the top of the duvet. "Good morning. Now get up, you'll be late for school."

A moan passed her lips and she pulled the covers tightly over her head, coiling deeper into the bed. "But I'm so tired."

"It's ten to nine honey, Kira already left."

"WHAT!" Blonde hair flew upwards and Cagalli's body was commanded to sit upright almost instantly, and with that she tumbled sideways off her bed. "Oww."

Shaking her head, she caught the light purple color of Mrs. Yamato's skirt out of the corner of her eye and next came that soft hand that lifted her from the hardwood floor. "Are you alright?"

"Mhmm. But no time for that, I have to get showered. Oh never mind, I don't have time. Pants, I need pants!" Cagalli scrambled about her room pulling out bundles of perfectly good clothes from her drawers and pulled out a pair of green pants and a white tank top along with a red sweater. Stumbling a bit as she pulled on her clothes she was out the door in a second running into the bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair, looking into the mirror she found a pale face staring back at her.

Thick, black rings hung beneath her eyes from weeks of sleepless nights. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that she was a vampire of sorts, the slight joke gave her a little kick to keep going. Running her hands through her hair, catching a finger or two on knots, she brushed out her course, blonde hair in less than five seconds and was down the stairs before Mrs. Yamato could grab her car keys.

"I'll give you a ride to school today, grab your bag and meet me at the car. Don't worry, I called the school to tell them you'll be in late."

"Thanks." Cagalli dashed into the living room and shoved all her binders into her backpack before slinging it over her shoulder and stopped before the mantle to stare at the lone picture on the far left side. Tears stung at her eyes as she forced them back before twisting out of the room in a fit, making it to the car in a slow walk to make sure that she wasn't crying. Mrs. Yamato could always make her feel better, but this was a subject better left for her to deal with alone.

Cagalli arrived at the school as the last bell rang out all around her, her head sunk to her chest and a large sigh floated through the car. She escaped questions from Mrs. Yamato and shut the passenger side door carefully, so not to slam it in all her worries. The lavender car clicked into gear and slipped away down the street, pausing for only a moment at a stop sign before disappearing among a road filled with other cars. The blonde teen shrugged back her shoulders and climbed the front stairs into the school, the office was right around the corner and she dreaded going in there.

Ms. Dewick was sitting at the front desk, her thick rimmed, designer glasses sitting on the top of her head as she typed up some unknown detention slip on her computer. A thin line on her lips formed a straight lined smile as Cagalli approached the desk, hands clasped on the counter next to the wire basket filled with permission and detention slips, a shiver ran down her spine.

Pulling her glasses back down to fit on the bridge of her nose, Ms. Dewick looked up at Cagalli with a grim smile and rummaged through a pile of paper to find a late slip for the girl. "Good morning. So what kept you from school today?"

"Mrs. Yamato actually called in to say that I'd be a bit late, I'm Cagalli Yula Attha." Her cheeks turned a light pink as the woman stopped fidgeting through the papers to get a better look at her, it wasn't as if she was used to it.

"Alright then. Just go to your first class, I'll make sure to tell your teacher that you're present."

"Thank you." With that, Cagalli stepped outside the confined space and took in a deep breath, before directing herself towards the stairwell that would take her to her History class on the second floor. It must have been the longest walk ever because by the time she reached the top, her mind was completely blank of everything. Mr. Kyle's room had his nameplate screwed onto it, just like all the other classrooms throughout the school. All the courses he taught were also displayed casually on the heavy, wood door, but as she walked in the teacher was found to be absent.

A familiar face turned to smile at her, dark brown hair rimming his deep purple eyes as he waved her over. In doing so, half the class turned to stare at the new arrival, their eyes burning into her like hot pitchforks, so naturally she glared back. Her shoes clicked across the floor as she took long strides past tables filled with her classmates in making her way to sit by her brother. Of course they weren't alone, Lacus sat right next to him, her bright pink hair pulled back into a long ribbon of hair that flowed down her back. Glowing pools of blue swirled with happiness as she glanced over at Cagalli and tilted her head with a lovely smile to make her face almost seem angelic.

"Sleep in?" Kira smirked, brushed hair out of his face with one hand.

"Did you really have to ask? Your Mom gave me a ride to school, remind me to thank her again later for calling in for me." Cagalli's head drooped to the table and blonde hair scattered over the cold surface.

"You're just lucky that Mr. Kyle hasn't shown up yet. Something about an emergency in the teacher's lounge, I think the principal is sick or something today."

_'Amazing Cagalli, it's your second day back at school and you can't even make it to class on time. It takes an illness to make sure you don't get a late on your transcript.' _Thoughts clouded her mind and she released a heavy sigh, which drew Lacus's attention to her this time. Why was it always the sweet ones who recognized pain?

"Cagalli? Are you alright?" That voice was like a song, so smooth and melodic that it was trance like to its listeners, and lucky Kira got to listen to it all the time. Dark brown pools met sapphire gems and Cagalli let out a fake yawn to make her story seem plausible.

"Don't worry about me Lacus, I'm just tired from lack of sleep." Wrong statement to make this morning.

"Nightmares?" Lacus blinked, oddly curious in why Cagalli seemed so white washed after sleeping in.

Cagalli moaned again and her head dropped to the table once again, this time half the class turned to look at her, only agitating her further. "Sort of. I really don't' feel like talking about this right now. Okay?"

"Alright. Besides, Mr. Kyle just walked in." Lacus gave that same childish smile and opened up her binder.

Cagalli turned around in her chair to look at the familiar face of her history teacher. Today was no different and he didn't look any different. He still had crimson hair and wore frameless glasses that covered his chocolate brown eyes. He wasn't tall, about five foot nine if she had to pick and today her wore a striped shirt and jeans like most of the teachers would be. It didn't even take him a minute to get down to that days lesson, writing down their questions and assigned pages to read out of the textbook due for tomorrow at the beginning of class. Immediately half the class went to work, while Cagalli sat there staring out the window in a daydream, watching at Kira and Lacus sat quietly reading out of a shared textbook.

Class ended at 10:10am, although it was only an hour and ten minutes, it felt like far more to Cagalli. She'd used up the whole class to stare out into the vast distance of a road that held their school's sign proudly above the rushing cars, her mind had grown blank about half an hour into the course. Hearing the bell go was a relief, now at least she wouldn't have to deal with Lacus or Kira until lunch now that they had to go their separate ways.

Cagalli folded a piece of her blonde hair behind her right ear and pulled the strap of her backpack over her shoulder and followed the herd of students down the hallway. It was loud, kids talking on either side of the crowded corridor and shouting back and forth across it; some were even dancing and horsing around just because their breakfast was kicking in. It was normal behavior and they had every right to have a good day, but Cagalli just wanted to slip away into the masses and hide at the back of the class. Dreading her next class, Biology, today they were getting assigned lab partners, just another way the school system forced themselves on each other.

Wandering to the back of the class to her lab station, she pulled off her backpack and pulled out the necessary items she would need for the class. It wasn't long before the others began to filter into the large classroom and the teacher just watched as each one took a seat, smiling at the thought of rearranging them to her liking. Ms. Gladys wasn't really the nicest teacher she had, but at least she left Cagalli to herself and was reminded daily that she was back there. It didn't matter; teachers were only there to provide assistance, not to make friends with the students. Ms. Gladys pulled out a few flasks and her binder filled with overheads and planned lessons and rearranged all her own equipment in preparations for that days teachings, with all the items she'd magically pulled off shelves, Cagalli figured it would have been nice to have a partner.

The bell went to signal that class was now starting and Ms. Gladys turned off the lights and the screen behind her lit up with different cells moving across the screen. It was split down the middle and automatically you could see the differences between the two columns. Cagalli knew what they were, blood cells, from a human and an animal, obviously the two living creatures worked very differently, but oddly some of the cells were almost identical. Ms. Gladys handed out worksheets and microscopes to class and continued with her lesson, Cagalli tuned in and out and it wasn't until the lights came back on that she realized the screen had stopped flickering. Leaning over the papers that were scattered before her, she read over her task and pulled out the unique slides that she'd been dealt.

As she was just about to begin, the entire class fell silent and Cagalli looked up to see what was going on. To her dismay, Ms. Gladys was pointing directly at her and a tall, dark haired teen was standing next to her glancing back at Cagalli as well. For a moment, a hard lump jumped into Cagalli's throat and she almost felt as though she was choking. _'Why couldn't she just forget that I existed today?'_

But it was too late, the boy just gave his teacher a nod and stalked towards Cagalli's lab table, only making eye contact with her once before sitting next to her quietly and picked up a slide to examine it against the light. A blush crept up Cagalli's cheeks and she felt the warmth meet her eyes hastily, she pulled the hood of her sweater up over her hair and continued to stare through the microscopes viewfinder.

"I'm Athrun, in case you were wondering." His voice was deep and comforting, and for some odd reason Cagalli froze all at once to stare flatly at the light before her. Hesitantly she sat back in her chair and turned to look at him, bright green eyes glowing from beneath almost blue tinted hair, that was an ebony color in other places. His jaw was still slightly rounded from his younger years, but it was strong and it made the rest of his features definitely pop.

"I'm Cagalli, you know, in case you were wondering." Sarcasm. Something she hadn't heard from herself in such a long time, it felt oddly good.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

Cagalli felt herself smiling and whatever the nightmare she'd had the night before, slowly ebbed away as they inspected the blood cells. It was nice, they didn't talk a whole lot through out the class, but it was a good feeling knowing that he wasn't going to be begging to be moved in the next day or so. But still, a part of her was scared and she made sure not to get too close to him while they were hovering over their lab and only spoke when the conversation turned to her. It was a simple enough pattern.

"I moved here from Tokyo, actually." Athrun answered her previous question instantly, giving her little time to actually think her next statement through.

But she didn't use it, instantly her mouth was moving. "Really? You don't look Japanese." Cagalli blushed almost instantaneously after what she'd said and shook her head in an attempt to correct herself. "Sorry, that came out wrong."

"It's alright. I get it a lot from people. Actually my Father owns a large company in Tokyo, and in New York, Hong Kong, and London, so naturally I've lived all around the world."

Relief washed over her as he brushed off her clumsy sentence and went back to talking freely to her. "Must be nice to have seen that much at our age, I haven't seen outside of this place since I was born."

"I'd rather stay in one place, jumping from school to school and having to make friends every where I go, isn't the easiest thing to do." Athrun shrugged, writing down his observations on the lab sheet as Ms. Gladys strolled by nonchalantly.

"I just moved here too, well, over the summer actually. My brother lives here with his Mom."

"Don't you mean, with 'our' Mom?" Athrun blinked, his green eyes staring back into her own large, brown orbs.

"No. We were both adopted into different families when we were born, for very different reasons." She shook her head, prying herself from his glance and went back to her lab sheet and finished drawing out the size of the cell she'd just observed.

"Well then it's none of my business, but why are you living with him now? Did you adoptive parents get married?" Athrun kept digging, as if he didn't realize that she wasn't interested in indulging further into the topic.

"My Father died in June." It was a flat tone, no emotion and her hand held her pen limply, still scrawling the information down on the white paper. It became awkwardly silent and she didn't dare let herself glance over at the new student that she'd just unloaded to; it was the stupidest thing she'd done all day. Ms. Gladys noted that the two had fallen silent obviously and came to inspect what they'd accomplished, she gasped slightly when she realized that the two were finished the lab, but kept walking on to a hand that stuck in the air calling to her attention. "I guess we're done." Cagalli turned to look at him, but he wasn't even there. _'Great, now you've scared him away and you're talking to yourself. What's next?'_

But before she blinked he was back, he'd just been cleaning up their apparatus for her and it made her feel completely idiotic. She folded up her textbook and her work and shoved it all back into her backpack before staring up at the front of the class to admire the clock. They had ten minutes until the end of class, ten minutes for her to sit there next to him and answer his questions and reply with interest. When he sat back down he just pulled out a book and flipped through the pages as each word sank into his thoughts.

Cagalli returned to her post of daydreaming, folding her hands under her chin and propped up her head to stare into space. Lately, she'd been in such a daze, like a veil of smoke had fallen over her entire life and she couldn't see clearly through it. It weighed her down and she was fighting so hard to get out of it, but every day just seemed like another lost cause. Sighing outwardly, he head plummeted to the desk and she welcomed the cool texture on her skin, a relief from the warm September air that filled the school.

"Cagalli?" It was Athun's voice, and to her it was muffled slightly, almost as if he were talking through his nose, if she focused hard enough.

Lifting her head with the smallest of effort, she turned her eyes back to meet his face. Curious as to why he interrupted her dreaming session when she was just beginning to enjoy the sounds of the classroom. "Yes?"

"The bell went." Athrun pointed out, glancing over as the students began to filter out of the class in mass herds. Cagalli twisted her neck to capture the scene and picked up her backpack in grace to make her way out of the school.

"Thank you. I'll see you later, perhaps." She smiled sincerely this time, trying to evade any further conversations.

"Sure." Athrun nodded and left the class, walking in the opposite direction, as she was about to go. Pausing for a moment, she watched his oddly colored hair float down the hallway and turn into the Chemistry lab just before someone walked into her.

"I'm so sorry." It was definitely a female's voice, strong and defined but Cagalli couldn't put her finger on it. There was no face to match her hallway bumper, so instead she just turned around casually. Orange hair and chocolate brown eyes were her answer, Mirriallia, one of Kira's friends. She'd been over to the house a few times during the summer but really hadn't spoken one word to her.

"It's alright, I barely felt it." Cagalli winked.

"Oh, at least it was you I walked in to, last time I ran into Yzak and he wasn't too happy. So where are you off too?"

"Home. I have a spare right now and I'm going to take advantage of it and catch up on some sleep that I lost last night. You?"

"Chemistry with Mr. Waltfeld, he's got quite the interesting curriculum for us this year. I'm curious." Mirr gave her a tedious smile, but it was easy enough to accept. "But I should really go, tell Kira I said hi." And with that she was off down the hallway in a slow run, almost like she was trying to escape Cagalli's sad eyes, that same sinking feeling sunk in as she turned on her heels to find the nearest exit.

Mrs. Yamato was making soup when Cagalli woke up from her nap, she was confused to see her new Mother working so hard in the kitchen for lunch when she herself would have to be back at work in just under an hour. But never the less, she appreciated that she was always around.

"Hello Cagalli, would you like some soup. I don't have much time and it was the quickest thing I could make, I had to stay over my lunch break a bit today."

"It's alright, I was just planning on making a sandwich or something, but this is much better." Just as Cagalli finished that statement, Kira and Lacus floated through the door smiling and talking about their morning filled with classes. They looked flushed and exhausted, as if they'd been holding their breath the entire way home from school.

"Hey Cagalli. Mom." Kira gave a little nod of acknowledgement before moving into the living room; Lacus lingered by the island in the kitchen and sat down on a closest to where Cagalli was leaning against the dividing wall through the house.

"Hello Mrs. Yamato. What are you making? It smells delicious."

"Thank you Lacus, but it's just some left over stew from last night's dinner. You're welcome to have some if you wish." Mrs. Yamato smiled motherly towards her, it would seem she was like a mother to a lot of people in this town.

"That would be great. Thank you." Her voice lingered above Cagalli, that same musical note that drowned out any worry that may have seeped into your thoughts during a scary movie or a walk through the park at midnight. It was soothing in some ways, and in others it was worthy of envy.

Mrs. Yamato fluttered out of the kitchen down the hall towards the bathroom, after that Cagalli moved from her spot leaning against the wall and stalked towards the large metal pot sitting on the white stove. Grabbing herself a bowl and leaving a couple out for the others in the house, she picked up the ladle and spooned out enough to fill the ceramic dish. It smelled of dill and garlic, quite the aroma that made the taste even more enticing. Sitting down by Lacus this time, she pulled a spoon out of the tray on the counter and focused on eating, instead of the warm stares that came from her brother and his girlfriend. It was enough to make a person flip out and dumped hot stew over them, but she was good at ignoring people these days.

"So Cag, there was this new guy in our English class today. Ms. Murrue actually gave him a seat right next to Lacus and I, of course he's sitting by himself, but I still got to talk to him. Athrun I think it was." Kira came up behind his sister and scooped a spoon off the counter as well before following her previous actions. Cagalli however froze at the name; her spoon hanging mid-bite and she glanced up at the back of Kira's head expecting a more detailed description. Instead, she pulled the metal utensil from her mouth and dropped it back in her bowl, clasping her hands on her lap. "I believe he was in my Biology class this morning, real bookworm."

"Says the girl who just finished reading the Tale of Two Cities." Kira mocked, giving her a friendly smile over his shoulder.

Cagalli glared, refusing to let his bubbly smile make her forget his insult. "You shouldn't be talking. At least I don't spend my days on my laptop doing research on something that's not even school related. But really, that's beside the point, I only spoke with him for a little while, he seemed nice enough."

"I'm glad you agree." Lacus nodded, following Kira to the stove after watching the twins get a rise out of each other. "He's coming over for movie night on Friday, I hope you don't mind. I just sort of asked him out of consideration." 

Cagalli bit her lip, holding back a scream. It was the last thing she wanted to do, she hated yelling around Lacus, however sometimes it just happened. "I don't have a problem with that. He's new, maybe you can get him a date with someone, I know there aren't a lot of available girls in our grade, but I'm sure you could find one." With a nod, she went back to eating her stew. It was her way of telling them that she no longer had any interest in the conversation, and painfully enough, they took the hint.

Kira and Lacus took their meals into the dining room to eat, conversing with themselves, obviously liking Cagalli's idea to set him up with a girl so that he'd be more interactive in their high school lives. Shrugging off the thought she cleaned her dishes and made a beeline for the bathroom after Mrs. Yamato had left to work. She pulled the hairbrush out of the top drawer and began her morning regiment after being woken up at such a late time. Today she even put mascara on, not really knowing how to, but she managed on her own.

Staring back into the mirror, pleased at what she saw, she brushed her teeth and went back to the living room to sit and relax until she had to go back to school. Kira joined her and Lacus took up her place in the bathroom, it seemed to be a very popular room today. An awkward silence filled the room, Kira glanced over at her during a commercial and once again the annoyance factor filled Cagalli.

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing." Kira smirked.

"That's bull. What's on your mind?"

"Are you really okay with Athrun coming here on Friday, or are you just saying that so we won't un-invite him?"

"Yes Kira, I'm okay with it. You always bring new people over for movie night anyway, and I'm new to the school too. Don't forget that." Cagalli's tone seemed to mellow out after a second, but she was still annoyed with the fact that Kira had to pry at every emotion.

"Alright. Good enough for me. Want a ride back to school?"

"That would be great."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Cagalli slipped out of Kira's car, minding her head on the door and watching as he met up with Lacus on the other side. Together, they made such a good pair, both were unbelievably good looking, charming, and Lacus was as sweet as honey. It was almost painful to look at them for very long, but living with Kira had taught her to except it and she was able to block them out completely from time to time.

Shutting the driver side door, she turned the opposite direction of them and skidded down the walk away from them. Finding her bearings she headed towards the west doors where her Math class took place in the small, air-conditioned hallway. Taking in the scent of floor wax and old textbooks, that fluttered by her as a group of freshman girls ran past, she head out towards the room with "APPLIED MATHEMATICS" scrawled across a metal piece that jutted out above the door.

Stepping inside, she found it to be completely vacant, not a teacher or student to be found in any of the desks. Frantically searching her backpack, she pulled out her schedule and double-checked the room numbers. She was in the right place, but it seemed that she had arrived extremely early to the unlocked room. It was a stroke of good luck and she took up a spot at the back, for a table that was only able to house two students. Relief washed over her as a familiar face stalked into the room, carrying an armload of textbooks.

The teacher gave her a polite smile and went back to her business preparing for a class full of eleventh graders. She had her hands full with this bunch. Cagalli remembered walking in late on Monday, he pink slip hanging loosely from her finger tips only to find that the teacher stood outside the room talking the Chemistry lab teacher from across the hall. Her class inside was insane; Dearka and Rusty had managed to create paper airplanes that could fly across the entire room in one gust, without assistance from either of them. It was comforting to know that they wouldn't be quite to persistent today to make her sit with them.

The bell finally went and Cagalli was flipping through a random book she'd stuffed in her bag when a backpack flung up on the empty space of the desk beside her. Cringing on the inside, she dared herself to catch a quick peak of who decided to challenge her bubble. Casting her eyes to the side, that same familiar dark black/blue hair and green eyes met her, without even glancing at her.

It made sense, they were both new and neither of them had been assigned proper seats, just as the rest of the class. When she was about to ask him to sit elsewhere, she glanced around the room to find that all the available seats weren't so available. _'More kids must have transferred into the class yesterday. There weren't this many on Monday.'_ Cagalli bit her lip, afraid of spending another class seated next to Athrun, someone she'd met over two hours ago.

But glancing over at Dearka and Rusty plopped down next to each other, she reassured herself that this seating arrangement would be much better than being squished in-between the two most annoying kids in her grade. Though, she had to say they were awfully good looking for brats.

Athrun smiled over at her, feeling her eyes on him obviously, and pulled out his binder and a pencil just as the teacher walked back into the room to quiet the class. Of course, there was no such thing as absolute silence among this group, little giggles broke out from girls in the right hand side corner, and Dearka waved back them seductively. Cagalli grinned and rolled her eyes, Athrun still watching her smiled back.

"Is Kira your _real_ brother?" The way he said it so casually, yet halted to emphasize the word real, caught Cagalli off-guard. Her jaw tightened slightly, afraid of what might slip out from behind her teeth if she just let the words flow at random. Thinking for a moment, she glanced back over at him gingerly.

"He is. We were separated at birth. It's a long story, one that I thought we'd gone over." Cagalli blushed a slight crimson at the remembrance of their earlier conversation.

"Okay. I was curious, because he asked me to your house on Friday night for their weekly movie ordeal. It just struck me as odd, because you two look similar in a few ways."

Cagalli hadn't realized that he'd looked at her so closely, that she could match the roundness of her face to Kira's, and the way that their jaws seemed almost the same, making Kira seem feminine. Their eyes matched, not in color, but size, while her eyes were a deep chocolate brown and his purple-blue. The two were obviously twins if you spoke with them together, but apart they were nothing alike, just two teens who shared a parent or two. "I didn't realize people could see that."

Athrun smirked, brushing hair out of his face with a single finger. "It wasn't obvious at first, but it was the way he tilted his head when he smiled, I had to do a double take to make sure I was talking with him and not you." His voice wasn't steady around that part, which made her extremely nervous.

"So I've heard." Was all she could think of. Yet a knot tightened in her stomach and she forced it away by focusing in on the math homework before them. It ebbed away slowly, and the rest of the class the two were awkwardly silent. She figured that tomorrow he'd be sitting with Dearka, or even Yzak before he'd ever sit with her.

At the end of the day, Cagalli slipped past all the students and made a silent escape towards Kira's car. The deep blue paint was chipping on the bumper from where someone had obviously rear-ended him, but he'd refused to get it fixed. More than anything, he wanted a new car and just wanted to write the old two-door off.

The car had character, that much she agreed with, but other than that it was just a piece of junk that Kira and his Father had picked out together the day before he got his license. It meant something to him, and it was precious, but yet he refused to actually give it the care it deserved.

Smiling to herself, she leaned against the driver side of the car and waited for Kira to come out and join her. When he finally did, he gave her a little nudge, but his arm was bare of Lacus. '_Where is she?' _Cagalli questioned him with her swirling orbs.

"Lacus has to work, so she got a ride with Mirr." Kira shrugged, but he was still smiling.

Cagalli found her window and dashed over to the passenger side of the car and slipped into the front seat as the doors clicked open. Her enthusiasm only made Kira's smile brighten, some days he rarely smiled like that, and it was great to see it.

"So why are you so happy?" Kira pried, and Cagalli moaned slightly.

"Are we really going to do this again? Kira, I just had a better day than expected."

Kira fell silent, a ghost of a smile still lingered on his lips, but Cagalli knew that it wasn't her fault. He missed Lacus already, like a puppy pining for its Mother. It was sad to see him like that, but it also made her uncomfortable and see Kira as pathetic.

The ride home was silent, except for the silent blaring of the radio in the background. Neither of them said word, both feeling somewhat exhausted from a day filled with twists and turns. Pulling into the driveway behind the white Suburban, he put the car in park and grabbed his bag out of the back, leaving Cagalli to fend for herself. She followed his actions and pulled her bag out after her, swinging the single strap over her shoulder and trudged up the driveway glancing behind her a few times.

The house across the street had gone up for sale, the large bay window in the front of the house, clouded with pink curtains. Cagalli found it so much different than her home higher up where her Father spent good money on a cozy home for the two of them. It was always a good day when you walked into the old Victorian styled house, with pointed towers on the far left corner that housed her room and a study for her Father. But her new home was so alien to her, all the houses on the street looked somewhat similar, with the owner's added touches to make them seem so different.

The Yamato house was no exception. They had planted large shrubs in the front yard that shadowed most of the landscape and the front walk, with flowers that sparked the yard with color and brightness that would make anyone smile. The front porch had obviously been added on after they had moved in and was freshly stained to a dark cherry color, it looked almost as if it had been on the house since the early Gothic Victorian years. The house had two bedrooms on the main floor, and three on the upper floor, with only one in the basement. However, the house only held for occupants and Birdee, Kira's pet bird. It was large and most of the rooms had been transformed into offices and art studios for the rest of the family.

They'd offered her a room on the top floor, offering to change it from the art studio that it was, and reluctantly she took it, while she preferred to be in the basement. Walking into the house she found her way past the kitchen and the hall where photos clung to the wall displaying the family growing throughout the years. The newest addition was the one with Cagalli, the day after her Father's funeral. She was the only dressed in black, with a deep purple undershirt and a white belt. The others had on bright clothes; Kira was wearing a loose red shirt tucked into his black jeans, his soft brown hair combed out making his look like a prince from a fairy tale. His Mother whom stood behind Cagalli, was dressed in a beige skirt suit, with a light pick top underneath the jacket, her black-blue hair curled around her petite face and let her deep eyes stand out for the camera. Mr. Yamato was dressed his dark blue dress pants, with a white shirt on and a black tie, his dark hair slicked back with gel, but yet he looked nothing like Kira however in the photo they looked so alike.

Cagalli ripped her eyes from the photo, when she saw how Kira's arm curved around her and the fake smile she had tossed lightly on her lips to make the picture suitable for that wall. It was all so fake, and yet she loved it.

Making her way upstairs, she held onto the banister and glided up the marble steps into brightly lit second story. Turning down one hallway she found her room nestled in the corner, a deep green comforter covering her bed and a bright light filtering in through her windows. Flinging herself across the fluffy mattress, she found herself thinking of foreign memories, thoughts she hadn't had since she was six. But brushing them aside she found how tired she really was and without a second breath, she found herself asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Friday came quickly, the week slipping away with classes and working. Cagalli found herself sitting outside on her first break of the day, just watching as the leaves were slowly changing their colors and breaking free of the summer intensity. _'All things come to an end.'_ Cagalli sighed and pulled her knees to her chest and leaned against the side of the school watching the puffy, white smears that were scattered across the blue background. It was gorgeous outside and it was hard to believe that summer was over and winter would be right around the corner, back to the time when she'd have to throw on bulky sweaters and jeans to cover her-self up.

"Cagalli?" It was Lacus, she didn't have to look up to know that much, but yet she did out of curiosity.

"Lacus." Cagalli nodded. "How was your first class?"

Lacus smiled: it was a lovely painting that any human could watch for hours on end. "You were there, so you can imagine. Do you want to work with Kira and I on that group project?" Lacus sank down to sit next to Cagalli on her knees.

"No thanks. I think I might just do it on my own, maybe it'll help me get back into the swing of things." Cagalli nodded, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"Okay." Lacus nodded.

An air of silence hung over the two, no one said a word, and both lost in their own secret thoughts or wonder. It wasn't until Kira and Sai came around the corner did the two acknowledge that class was starting shortly.

"Are you two coming?" Sai asked, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

"Mhmm." Lacus smiled and stood up gracefully and extended a hand towards Cagalli, whom just shook her head and stood up on her own, a little less than graceful.

"Have fun in Biology." Lacus waved as they separated in the hallway, her tone pleasant and sincere.

Cagalli nodded in acknowledgement and then turned only to frown and sulk back to her class. She knew that Athrun would be sitting next to her like he did every day, and they would be awkwardly silent during note taking and she'd have to use all her power not to want to go sit elsewhere and take up a different seat. She'd resisted thus far, but it was getting harder to sit next to anybody in any of her classes, besides Kira and Lacus. Besides her brother and his girlfriend, she had no interest in speaking with others in case they brought up her living situation or her parents.

The class was quiet, everyone was sitting staring at the front and it wasn't long before she found out why.

Movie day.

Cagalli felt lighter, this meant that she'd have something to entertain her while she sat there next to Athrun. It wouldn't be such a horrible day after all. She took up her seat, Athrun was absent beside her until just after the bell went when he separated from Yzak in the hallway and jaunted into the room waving at people as he entered. He'd only been here for half a week and he'd already made more friends than she had, suddenly she felt small again.

"Good morning Cagalli." Athrun beamed, though his voice was natural and not overly cheery: just the way she liked it.

"Morning." She gave him a slight smile and then turned back to the large TV that displayed the DVD's title. _'Osmosis Jones'_

Athrun was also staring at the TV, almost expecting it to suddenly start playing on its own, but something was different about the way he was holding himself today. Naturally he seemed slightly nervous around, not to say the wrong words or just to give her the space she liked between them, but not today. Sitting next to her today, he sat proudly and enjoyable, almost as if he'd gotten the best news of his life and couldn't wait to share it with her.

"What movie are we watching tonight?" Athrun finally asked, turning to face her.

Cagalli's eyes widened. She'd completely forgot about the movie night, and the fact that he would be joining them in the den on the three large puffy couches she loved to sprawl across.

His eyes were still on her, pressing for an answer with such intensity that she'd almost forgotten the question when the teacher finally started the class and the movie.

"I forget." She stated, both true due to the fact that she'd forgotten all about what was about to happen that night. She blushed and shrugged and then turned her attention towards the movie that played loudly, stopping her entire thought process right where she wanted it.

"Okay, I'll ask Kira in Chemistry." Athrun nodded, still smiling brightly.

"Good idea." She whispered back without looking at him and turned her attention back to the movie, trying hard to concentrate on the animated figures moving across the screen. Though now, her mind was in a completely different place, and she could feel Athrun sitting next to her. Intently watching the movie and being as patient and possible, waiting for the bell to go to signal the end of class.

Cagalli sat in the school on her spare, it had started raining during the last twenty minutes of her Biology class, and she was sitting in the library watching the rain through the large windows. Kira had ignored all her texts because he was in his Chemistry class, the one class that his teacher didn't tolerate talking or texting. It was depressing and she sank deeper into the loneliness of the large reading space, it was almost empty, just a few kids sat on the same level as her doing their homework before their next classes started. She tapped her pencil on the faux-wood table to a beat she wasn't familiar with and listened to the rain tap on the windows and on the roof above her. It was a sedative to her ongoing thoughts, silencing her impatience and anxiety.

Her books were scattered out across the table, and she hadn't gotten to any of her homework. It was disappointing that she couldn't even concentrate on something as simple as reading half a page of notes that she'd received from Lacus for their history class. She sighed outwardly and shrugged off her loneliness and decided to pack up her things and move to a less depressing area of the school while she waited for Kira.

Turning around the corner by the check-out desk, she ran face first into someone. It seemed to be a popular situation for her lately, always running into people, but she felt more anxious at that point than she had all biology.

"Hey Cagalli. Sorry about that."

"Athrun?" Cagalli looked up from picking up her binder and a few loose pages that had freed themselves when she'd dropped her binder. "No. I'm sorry. I seem to be doing this a lot lately. Shouldn't you be in Chemistry?"

Athrun smirked and piled on his things back up into his arms, and she looked behind him. Kira was walking through the doors of the library as well, holding two text books and a whole pile of rolled up canvas. "What on Earth are you up to?" Cagalli questioned Kira, without bothering to look back at the smiling Athrun.

"Experiment. We're going to find out exactly how all the laws work. It's our beginning of the year hand-in. I love this class." Kira smirked and continued on past them, Cagalli subconsciously followed them over to a large table further over from where she'd been sitting. Kira unfolded the canvas and spread it across the counter like a table cloth.

"Whoa. You really need that much canvas for a 'chemistry assignment'?" Cagalli bit her bottom lip.

"You bet." Kira laughed slightly and began drawing out their plan of action in pencil across the white canvas. Cagalli instantly noticed the few formulas she could remember from her grade ten science; they were all fairly simple enough. And then he went onto doodle a few things about organic chemistry and she was lost.

"So exactly what are you doing?" Cagalli peered over Athrun shoulder as he labeled a few materials that he wrote down on his lab.

"Methane bubbles." Kira sighed, without looking back at her. "If you want to help, you can."

"No, that's alright. I was just leaving. Have fun you two." Cagalli shrugged.

"Where are you going? It's raining outside. Here, take my car." Kira fished his keys out of his pants pocket and tossed them at her.

"How were you planning on getting home for lunch? And what about Lacus?" Cagalli screwed up her nose.

"Lacus's car… What? Just because she drives around with me all the time doesn't mean she doesn't have her own means of transportation Cagalli. It's fine. Go home. Relax." Kira smiled sweetly. It was so charming that Cagalli really couldn't resist her brother's offer.

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you at home. Oh and, what movie are we watching tonight?" Cagalli paused before she passed her old table.

"We've got two of them. Cabin Fever and Ghostbusters. I've got all the snacks and what not in storage. No pigging out while no one's home." He didn't look up, just kept on working with the canvas in some sort of lost dimension.

"Alright. Works for me." She nodded and before she could leave, she caught Athrun staring right at her. She gave him a little wave and then turned around and left the library and made her way home.

After school, Cagalli walked through the front door and upstairs to her room without a second thought about Kira and Lacus following her through the door. Her room was her refuge and she was tired enough from her day of classes that all she wanted to do was crash and go to sleep. Kira followed her into her room and sat on the end of her bed with a long sigh, while Lacus hung out by her desk. It was silent for a while, Cagalli just curled up with her pillows and Lacus fixed her hair in the mirror.

"Okay. I think we need to get this out of the way." Kira's tone was serious, but on the light side of the subject.

"And what would that be?" Cagalli raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Athrun. You don't like him very much, do you?" Kira winced as the question slipped through his lips almost carelessly.

"That's not true." Cagalli spat.

Lacus looked at her, her expression seeming to be pleased and less worried than Kira's had turned out to be. Lacus gave a little clap and a smile and moved to sit on the top of the bed by Cagalli's head, her peasant skirt puffing up around her and then settling to the bed's surface. "That's good. Athrun was worried that you had a hit man out to get him the way you look at him. We tried to assure him that you were just dealing with some difficult issues but he was so certain." Lacus gave her a pleasant nod.

"Oh, has he now?" Cagalli smirked. "Well he has nothing to worry about. My hit man went into retirement." Cagalli gave a little laugh.

"Cagalli. Cut that out." Kira shook his head.

"It's alright Kira, she's actually being funny. It's good." Lacus defended Cagalli's odd sense of humor.

"Ya Kira." Cagalli teased. "But I want to have a nap before everyone gets here. So can you two please leave." Cagalli snorted.

"Fine. See you down stairs at seven." Kira sulked away, Lacus close behind him and closed Cagalli's door politely.

Cagalli closed her eyes and let the darkness wash over her body, pulling her down into the sleep she'd come to recognize for some time now. The atmosphere was hazy and made it hard to breathe. The terrain was scattered with sharp edges and pieces of glass, dead tufts of grass and rotting animals. Cagalli felt her stomach churn uneasily as she moved out across the nightmarish landscape. It wasn't the most pleasant place for her to be, but it was sleep at least.

The landscape shifted slightly so that the sky was now a hellish black color and sharp needles of rain hit her skin. It was painful but she pushed her way through the blood-drawing shower until she found a safe haven. A hollowed out mountain that called to her: allowing her some slight comfort whilst she was amongst the land that seemed to show her no love. Inside, it was warm and dry, large and open and sitting off to the side was her Father, dressed down in his sweats and an old Harvard sweatshirt.

_"I've been waiting for you Cagalli." _He hummed and patted the ground next to him, signaling for her to come and join him. Reluctantly, she moved slowly through the cave towards the vision of her Father she hadn't seen in possibly over a year. _"How have you been my dear?"_

Cagalli sat down slowly next to him, shaking her head so that he short blonde hair stuck of in every direction just like it used to when she was younger. She felt younger, smaller too. She looked down at her hands for a split second only to find that they were covered in finger paint and she was no longer in the hollowed out mountain. Now the two of them sat in the large study they shared when he was still alive, and she'd obviously been painting on her smaller easel, not well at all.

_"I'm fine."_

_"You're lying."_

_"How do you know? You're not even here anymore."_

_"I'm always here. You know that Cagalli. Why are you so sad?"_

_"Because you're NOT here. You left me, and now I'm all alone."_

_"You're NOT alone Cagalli, stop being so selfish. There are many people in your life that care for you the same why I loved you. Your brother for instance, is only doing what he can to make you happy. Cagalli, what have you become?"_

_"Daddy, I don't know. One day I'm finger painting with you, and then the next I'm sitting at your grave. You tell me what I've become."_

_"I don't know who you are anymore. You're a teenager, so be one. You're smart Cagalli …"_

With that, the image faded and Cagalli's eyes slid open to face the darker room she was familiar with. She glanced over at her alarm clock, it was twenty to seven and Kira's friends would probably all be downstairs and she most likely looked like she'd been in a wrestling match with a dog. Slipping off the end of her bed and sitting down before her mirror, she fixed her hair and stared at her dead eyes in the reflective surface. _'What have I become?'_

**Alright, so chapter seven is on its way.**

**I'm so terribly sorry about the long wait, but with school it's been crazy hard to even get this far. Don't worry, the Ath/Cag starts soon. Promise.**

**Xox Kisses**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"It doesn't matter. It was only a dream." Cagalli convinced herself and made her way down stairs to the den. It was crowded, a whole bunch of them were playing pool off in the corner and Kira and Sai were playing cars on the couch. Kira paused to check his hand and caught sight of Cagalli entering the chaotic room and nudged Lacus who was sitting behind him. She glanced over at Cagalli and gave her a little wave.

"Okay guys. Cagalli's here, let's start the movie." Sai cheered.

Cagalli blushed and went to sit down on the loveseat and sprawled across it so that she wouldn't have to share it with anyone she wasn't comfortable with. Athrun sat down on the floor by her, along with Sai who propped himself up with a pillow and hogged a bowl of popcorn all to his lonesome. Cagalli gave a little moan and tapped Athrun on the shoulder; he looked up her with a start.

"Would you like to sit up here with me?" Cagalli forced a smile.

"No, I'm good. Maybe later." Athrun shrugged. Cagalli shrank back into the couch and glared over at Kira, and then focused on the opening credits of Cabin Fever. She particularly didn't like this movie due to its unrealism and reference to a potentially disastrous disease, like many, that ruin lives. She stared at the ceiling for most of the film and glanced over when someone screamed or the music got to that intense point.

There was one point where she was caught off guard by a few screams after the intense music and actually jumped, and then Athrun looked up at her in a worried state and finally took up her offer to sit next to her. Close to the end of the movie, he had his arm slung around the back of the couch with is fingertips just touching her shoulder. It was slightly uncomfortable, but for some strange reason, Cagalli found his closeness in this situation so much easier to deal with and welcomed it.

Once the movie was over and everyone got up to stretch and go to the bathroom, Cagalli curled up in a ball on the loveseat and waited for the next movie to start. Athrun left with Sai and Yzak to get more drinks for everyone from the kitchen. She was lost to her thoughts when she felt the opposite side of the couch sink and she looked over to match her eyes with a pair of bright purple ones. "Hi Kira."

"You okay? I know you don't like that movie, but you actually looked scared for most of it." Kira tilted his head.

"It wasn't the movie, it was the fact that Athrun suddenly changed his mind about me and decided to sit next to me when I jumped. I was confused. That's all. What's his deal any way?" Cagalli snorted.

"I don't know Cagalli. But we're going to start the next movie as soon as everyone comes back, then we can talk all you want."

"Thanks Kira. But I'm okay." Cagalli nodded and watched as he left and Athrun took his place.

"Coke?"

Cagalli looked over at Athrun's extended hand and took the can from him with a nod and a gentle smile. "Thanks."

Cagalli cracked open the can and brought it up to her lips and sipped it gingerly. A light smile touched her lips as the bubbles tickled her nose and the cold liquid slid down her throat with a bite.

"So… how did you like the movie?" Athrun asked shyly.

With a slight snort, Cagalli turned to him and gave him a shrug. "It's not that great of a movie, no matter how many times I see it, it never gets better or more entertaining."

Athrun seemed excited that Cagalli was actually talking to him and he sat next to her with ease and intently listened. "I think the same. What's the next one? I hope it's better than this one." Athrun smirked.

"I – I don't remember." Cagalli curled deeper into her side of the couch and squirmed away from him just a bit. "I guess we'll just have to wait and find out, shouldn't be too much longer."

"I guess not." Athrun sighed and sank into his end of the love seat and stared at the blank screen patiently.

Kira finally put in the second movie "Ghostbusters" and sat back down with his arms around Lacus, his chin resting on her shoulder. She looked absolutely comfortable and Cagalli blushed a little for looking and turned her attention to the television with a quit snap of her head. Athrun turned to glance at her and then looked at the TV himself.

Once the opening theme song started, everyone in the room started singing and horsing around. Smiling like a bunch of idiots, it was a pleasant enough sight even though Cagalli didn't join in.

Halfway through the movie, Cagalli realized that she was actually enjoying herself and excited to watch with the group that kept talking and giggling. No one was thinking about what would happen after the movie or tomorrow, they were all just very concentrated on mimicking the ghost that kept dripping all over the place. Sai even got up during the scene where the Ghostbusters faced the larger ghost and started shouting the theme song. Everyone got a good kick out of that.

Cagalli had completely forgotten she was sharing the couch with Athrun, and stretched out across the couch until her feet plopped into his lap and just as quickly she retracted them and her whole faced burned. Athrun's eyes were wide and on her, she tried to look away but couldn't.

But no one else noticed, the credits had started playing at they were all dancing and singing the Ghostbusters song in high pitched voices that were sure to wake all the dogs in the neighborhood. Athrun looked like he was going to be sick and then he suddenly burst out in laughter and held out his hand to Cagalli.

"Wanna dance?" He grinned.

At first, Cagalli was confused and really didn't know how to react, and as Athrun held his hand out to her she decided she didn't care and took his offered hand and he pulled her up off the couch and spun her around. She caught her breath and started laughing as he dipped her.

"Okay. Okay. Get my up straight again." She laughed. For the first time since her Dad died, she was smiling without any force and having a good time. She caught Kira's glance and he was smiling back at her brightly. It was a good feeling.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The movie had ended and everyone was headed home after a long night of dancing and singing and watching movies and eating a crazy amount of junk food. Cagalli had been watching as everyone was leaving, saying a soft goodbye as each person turned and hugged Kira and Lacus as they left. She had kept herself off to the side, a light blush still littering her face from the dancing and singing with Athrun, the second his name popped into her mind her blush deepened and she tried to escape further from her classmates. She was about to turn around and leave when she turned around and came face to face with Athrun, who had come up from behind her all to say goodbye. A slight yelp escaped her and she looked up to gaze into Athrun's deep green eyes, his whole face apologetic.

"I'm sorry, I thought you heard me coming. Really sorry." Athrun apologized.

Cagalli blushed until her cheeks were almost purple and then waved Athrun's apology away. "Don't worry about it."

"Oh. Well, good night Cagalli, I'll see you on Monday." Athrun held out his arms to her, offering her up a hug as his farewell gift.

Cagalli hesitated and then moved towards him and let his arms wrap around her and she joined and wrapped her arms around his back and gave him a little pat in a friendly gesture. "Yes, good night Athrun." She pulled away and gave him a little nod.

Athrun stood in front of her awkwardly for a second and then turned with a nod and went to Kira and gave him a handshake and hugged Lacus before he left and Kira closed the door behind him and turned to Lacus. He gave her a light kiss on the cheek and they retreated back to the basement to watch TV and do whatever they did when they were alone, and suddenly Cagalli felt completely alone.

It was Monday morning and Cagalli was wandering into the school, dragging her feet behind her slightly, just enough that her shoes gave a little squeak as they dragged across the ground. Whatever had changed from that Friday night, Cagalli couldn't figure it out, she was exhausted and more depressed than ever. She'd had horrible nightmares and couldn't believe her lack of sleep that came after the amazing happenings of such a wonderful night.

_'Why didn't I say something to him before he left, or have at least invited him to come to the next one. God I'm so stupid. I had a chance to make another friend, but instead I just keep pushing people as far away as I possibly can. It's not fair that I'm cursed.'_ Cagalli was beating herself up as she walked into her History class and took up her seat across from Lacus and Kira who were both talking quietly amongst themselves, sitting closely enough. They barely even twitched as she dragged the seat out from under the table and plopped down into the cold, plastic chair. However, once she let her head hit the table, Lacus had a terrible time ignoring her friend. She always seemed to want to help out, even if Cagalli just wanted to be left alone.

"Cagalli? Did you get any sleep last night?" Lacus placed a hand on Cagalli's forearm, watching her very closely.

Cagalli softly pulled her arm away from Lacus's touch and stretched both of them far above her head as a yawn escaped her. For a moment Cagalli thought about the amount of sleep she had over the weekend, only to discover that Friday night was the only evening she had slept peacefully and long after the sun rose. Saturday night she had been harassed by the sounds of a party down the road from where the Yamatos lived, so she had barely any sleep that night and Sunday night had been a complete loss. By dinner her eyes began to droop and her appetite was lost, but by the time she had managed to sneak away to bed she was wide-awake and thinking about Monday. "No, I guess I didn't get a whole lot of sleep."

"Was it those college kids and their party Saturday night?" Kira glanced over at her, a short yawn escaping him as well and he ran a hand through his soft, brown hair. "They were so loud, Dad called in several noise complaints. I finally fell asleep around four in the morning and then I had to get up and go to work for seven."

Cagalli nodded in agreement, and felt somewhat better that she was the only one who had been irritated by the amount of noise that came from the block over. She gave her brother a sleepy grin and shrugged at Lacus. "Well at least I wasn't the only one that noticed."

Several heads turned towards the classroom door as an older looking woman walked in to the room and sat down behind Mr. Kyle's desk. She clasped her hands in front of her and waited for the room to quiet down, obviously she was a substitute. When the room was quiet enough that she would be heard without needing to raise her voice, the substitute teacher cleared her throat and began taking role call.

"Alright, now that everyone is here let me introduce myself. My name is Mrs. Za Burrel and I will be substituting for the remainder or the week for Mr. Kyle who has unfortunately been called away for a family emergency. Are there any questions?" She paused for a brief moment and glanced around the classroom looking for any raised hands or confused looking faces. When she found none she continued on with her introduction, "I have been well informed of what you are working on as of the moment, so please do not think that just because I am the sub you can pull a fast one on me. Now, if you would like to continue working on your projects for today's class please do so. I will be handing out some photocopied notes on tomorrow's discussion for you."

With that being all she had to say, the class turned in to a zoo, with students moving around to join their project groups and talking loudly over one another. There were the sounds of chairs screeching across the floor and then a high-pitched laugh that echoed throughout the room, but when everyone was finally settled amongst themselves the class was calm and almost silent.

"Cagalli, are you sure you don't want to join Kira and I on our project? We could really use a third person." Lacus smiled over at her as she and Kira pulled out their research material.

For a moment Cagalli considered joining them, but when she finally realized that once again she would just be the third wheel to their epic romance she decided against it. Besides she was well on her way to completing the research component of the project. "No thank you, surprisingly I'm almost done with my research anyway."

The two sitting across from her looked slightly shocked but nonetheless they left her to herself and continued to talk quietly to each other. Cagalli worked quietly and busied her mind and hands with the workings of her project for the remainder of class and when the bell went, she followed the mass of students in to the hallways and walked alone to biology.

The hallways were loud and filled with students catching up with each other after the weekend while they had a moment to spare. Cagalli noticed Mirriallia and Dearka were hanging out together with a group of his friends, she didn't really know them that well but it still seemed a bit odd. She continued her way to her classroom, trying to become invisible when she walked passed Meer Campbell and her clique. They weren't the nicest people on the school grounds, but they sure had a lot of friends and a lot of money to throw around. One of the kids standing in the group however made Cagalli stop and stare for a moment; Athrun was sitting next to Luna in the group. A girl Cagalli had been well introduced to one day during the summer when her and Lacus had decided to go to the beach.

Athrun caught her eye and excused himself from the large group of students and walked right up to her. "Good morning."

"Morning. I wasn't staring if that's what you were thinking, I've just seen a lot of strange things walking down the hall this morning." Cagalli shook her eyes loose of the large clique and looked over at Athrun who was smiling like a fool. "What's with the big grin?"

"I had a great weekend, so why wouldn't I smile?" Athrun gave her a little nudge.

Cagalli shrugged and walked along side him towards the Biology classroom, an awkward silence hung over head drowning out their conversation. Cagalli kept her eyes focused on the floor while at the same time, she made sure that she didn't run in to anyone. Athrun held his head high and walked down the hall with such confidence, that he guided Cagalli along as his shoulder softly rubbed against hers. When they finally made it to the classroom, Cagalli separated herself from his space and hurried over to her usual seat.

"You seem more closed off than usual." Athrun stated his observation aloud.

"Oh?" Cagalli felt the heat of a blush warm her cheeks and she turned away from him as he sat down next to her at the lab desk.

"Is there something bothering you?" Athrun pressed further.

Cagalli sighed, loudly, and turned her face towards his allowing him to see how tired she really was. "I'm super tired, that's all."

"That is truly unfortunate." Athrun looked away and pulled out his textbook and binder and placed them before him on the slab. He locked his fingers together and stared out towards the front of the classroom in thought, possibly trying to think of a new topic.

Cagalli didn't feel much like talking this time around either; Mondays just weren't good days to strike up a conversation with her. The teacher walked in and commenced with the topic of the day, turning off all the lights and flicking on the overhead projector. The rest of the morning continued in the same fashion, where Cagalli spent it in silence, sitting in the library on her spare and waited for Kira to get out of class to go for lunch. By the afternoon however, Cagalli's relentless thoughts and exhausted had worn off slowly and she was feeling more like her old self. By Math class, she felt much better and walked in to the class feeling more confident than she'd felt in a long time.

Athrun was already seated at the table in the back of the classroom; the chair next to him was still available so she took it up willingly. He gave her a short smile and then went back to reading a different book than the last time. Other students slowly filtered in to the quiet classroom, somber fun the long morning and the sudden heat wave. The room itself quickly warmed up and took on the pungent scent of body odor and smelly feet, Cagalli put her head down on the cool desk top and listened as the noise of voices increased as more students took their seats. Kids in the hallways were talking loudly and running about, only increasing the noise that emanated in to the small, square room and pounded through Cagalli's ears. She shifted when a chair pulled up to the table she was sitting at and someone's knee bumped her leg. She didn't at all expect to find the person she saw sitting across from Athrun.

"Hello, Yzak." Athrun smiled, returning his book to his backpack casually.

Yzak slapped down a flyer in front of him, not once even glancing at Cagalli – who was now staring quite obviously at him. "You better be there." Was all he said then casually strolled out of the classroom, nearly missing being tackled as Dearka and Rusty barreled in through the doorway.

Cagalli glanced down at the flyer that was sitting in front of Athrun, feeling suddenly left out of the event. There was a party at Dearka's place that weekend, obviously his parents were going to be out of town, and he was planning on having a real blowout. Cagalli glanced over it, slightly memorizing the address and the date, debating if crashing it would be any fun at all.

"You going?" Athrun was watching her; she hadn't even noticed she'd been so preoccupied with the piece of white paper in his hands.

She slowly turned to look at him, blushing more than usual. "Um … I wasn't invited." Cagalli shrugged.

"Well, I'm inviting you." Athrun stated, and just as he told her their teacher walked in the class and gave Cagalli no time to back out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Cagalli walked through the halls, barely noticing the other students that collided with her, in a little daze that surrounded her with Athrun's warm smile and interpretable invite to a party scene that she herself would never have been graced with. She staggered over an outstretched foot once and caught herself before giving her head a good shake and stared up at the large curved doorway she was standing adjacent too. The plaque above the door read "_Communications Lab 104", _it was her last class of the day, it was a Freshman course at this high school which she had not had the fortune to take at her last place of fine educating. She groaned. _I have to spend another hour debating on whether or not I'm actually going to show for a party, with a guy I just met, that isn't for another five days. I think I may go insane. _

She slid in to the room filled with first years. They were quietly talking amongst themselves, it was a completely different scene from the Second Year students who were usually loud and obnoxious, while they tapped away on their keyboards. Cagalli took her seat in the second row next to a boy, who besides his obvious anti-socialism, was surrounded by a little clove of fifteen-year-old girls.

"Shinn, just show us again how you did that." One of the girls who a short bob of crimson hair, tugged gently on his jacket.

The boy simply rolled his eyes and cast a sideways glance at a blonde who was leaning – in her most seductive position – up against the desk next to his. "Fine, Luna." He shrugged and Cagalli watched in amusement as his fingers dashed gracefully against the keyboard, bringing a program on the computer to life in a swirl of text and odd little beeps.

"Neat trick, Asuka." The blonde smirked before swaggering off back to her desk.

"Thanks." Shinn grinned after her.

Luna rolled her eyes and dropped heavily in her seat in the row behind him next to a boy with dark hair and eyes who remained nameless. At that point Cagalli turned her attention away from the drama unfolding and focused herself on the task at hand, reprogramming a simple game of pong. It should only take her one class, she figured, but her mind kept wandering back to Athrun. She could trace the shape of his face, see the all the different shades of green in his eyes and the way his hair shone blue under the fluorescent lights in the biology lab.

"Attha, you sleeping in my class again?" Mr. DaCosta slapped his hands down on the desk next to her keyboard.

Cagalli's eyes flew open, she hadn't even realized they were closed, and took in the daunting figure of her Communications teacher. Dark red hair, thick eyebrows – she was dying to mock them – and broad shoulders that suggested military. "No. I was … thinking."

With that, DaCosta turned his attention quickly on to the screen in front of her, did a quick once over on her work, nodded and dispersed. Shocked, Cagalli repeated his actions and discovered that she had completed her worked without even concentrating. A little snicker trickled over the desk and she turned to see Shinn giving her the thumbs up. _He finished it? _She pointed at the screen with a questioning face and he nodded once before waving it off and going back to his own work.

By the end of the day Cagalli's head was so full of useless boy muck that she was in deep need of a frustration outlet. Instead of going off to find Kira she made a beeline for the first person she could pick a fight with. It was her only way to blow off steam that she knew of now, back when her father was alive he would take her out skeet shooting, fishing, play catch or go do something that involved complete, physical and mental exhaustion. Nowadays fighting was sufficient enough. Halfway through the courtyard, fully intending on plucking the hairs off of the Meer Campbell, Lacus stepped in to her path with that bubbly smile that fixed all.

"Hey Cag. I was looking for you." She beamed.

"I was …" _Lie "_looking for you too."

"Good. Want a lift home? Kira has to stay late." She shrugged as if it was nothing new, but it was definitely far from the norm.

"Why?" Cagalli screwed up her face in question.

"Just … school stuff."

"Lacus, are you lying to me?" If there was one thing Cagalli knew Lacus despised on his planet, it was liars, fakes and ignorance.

She shook her head half way before her shoulders sagged and she gave in. "He got detention."

Cagalli's eyes widened to three times their normal circumference. "What? Why? HOW?!"

"Yzak. Who else? That jerk just does-" She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and plastered her honey-sweet smile back in to place. "It is in the past and cannot be changed. Still want that ride?"

Cagalli – eyes still saucer-large – nodded in silence and followed Lacus from the courtyard to the student parking lot. Students stared after them, curious glances, hushed voices. All these things Cagalli was used to, the part she wasn't used to however, was that they weren't directed to her but instead towards her brother and Lacus. She slid in to Lacus's car, remaining as silent as a church mouse, and let her drive her home where she dropped her off at the end of the driveway and drove off after waving quickly in good-bye.

_Oh. This must be bad._

"Oh good Cagalli, you're home." Cagalli turned around and saw Mr. and Mrs. Yamato dressed in their formal-casual attire that they saved for events outside of work, charity and the comforts of home. "We have to go to the school to talk to Principal Durandal about Kira and some nonsense about getting in to a fight during his physics class. We should be home in about an hour but there are snacks in the pantry if you get hungry." Mrs. Yamato landed a quick kiss on her forehead before jumping in to the Range Rover and skidding off in the direction Cagalli had just come. _Really. REALLY bad. _

A bag of Doritos, a can of Coke, a bowl of luke-warm chili, and two and a half hours later the other three members of the household stalked silently in to the house and separated. Kira marched up to his room, Mr. Yamato to his study and Mrs. Yamato to her office while Cagalli sat at the dining room table with her History assignment spread out over the cherry finish. The silence filled the house until she could no longer take it, packed up her homework and decided that the town library was a much more _relaxed_ abode at that moment. It was a fifteen minute walk to the library. That is if one can focus on the route before them instead of the tide of teenage crap that was piling up behind the part of Cagalli's brain that she normally used to see.

The flyer for the party, Athrun's books, his handwriting, his eyes, Kira's little scrimmage in the schoolyard, everything was starting to collide in her brain in a way that made her eyebrow twitch when she thought about it but at the back of her mind there was always her Father. Today he sat perched on the porch swing that was bolting to the overhand in the back yard, a little folder of work he'd brought home sitting in his lap, and his reading glasses slowly sliding down the bridge of his nose. He was humming a little tune that helped him focus on the task at hand and always lured his daughter to him regardless of how much work he was swamped with.

Her feet knew the way to the library, which was good, because her mind had retreated to her back porch. She sat on the unfinished wood of the bench, lightly padded by a beaten cushion and stared out at the expanse of her backyard, listening to her Father hum his work song. Beneath the tree whose branches housed a rickety tree house and an old tire she called a swing was a figure with dark hair and eyes like moss with a book perched upon his upright knees. Her Father hummed a little tune as she got to her feet and walked across the lawn to him, dropping down on to the velvet soft grass and leaned heavily against the rough bark of the tree.

She tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and snapped back to reality to find she was on the opposite side of the road of the library. There were no cars. No people. It was quiet. She dashed across the road anyway and pushed in to the air conditioned tomb of books, the librarian looked up in habit before going back to staring at her computer screen. Cagalli made her way through the maze of shelves back to where the reference section made its home and sat down in front of one of the computers. There was a little button you had to push that gave you a receipt, a receipt which you took up to the librarian after you were done and they would charge you for the time used.

Cagalli pushed the button to start her time.

Tuesday morning came in a buzz. The Yamato house was still silent as the grave. None were speaking. Cagalli left early to avoid the awkwardness of asking for a red, and considering she had slept all of two hours, she preferred to be saved from the questioning glances. The school was for the most part still vacant of most of the student body, only those working off detention hours or trying to work up some extra credit were present and of course the insomniacs. She worked her way up to the second floor and walked down the hall until she came to her history class. The door was open and Mrs. Za Burrel was sitting at the desk grading, or something, and only stopped to check who had come in before going back to her something.

Cagalli paid her no mind. She went to her seat, sat down, pulled out her text book and what she had managed to finish of her assignment and laid her head down upon the cool surface of the desk. Her eyes fell shut and the classroom, the school, the large swath of land it was built upon fell away beneath the darkness of her catnap only to be cut short by the sound of a text book colliding with the desk space right next to her head. She shot up and glared at Lacus.

"What the hell?!"

"Not sleeping again?" There was a touch of distress in her voice that raised goose bumps all over Cagalli's fair skin.

She shook her head in reply and watched Lacus with care. "Are _you_ okay?"

Lacus ruffled up her usually neatly coiffed bangs and looked at Cagalli from the space between her spread fingers. Shook her head out and straightened her back. "_I_ will be perfectly fine once today is over. I'm looking forward to …" she cast a quick glance towards the door to the classroom where Kira was entering from and smiled despairingly at him.

Kira simply sat down in his seat, rolled his shoulders back and kissed Lacus on the cheek before gracefully saying: "Morning."

**/: So, I haven't touched this FIC in a VERY long time and this was a very rushed publication but I can promise that it will not be the last. I have to relearn several of the names and personality types of the characters I'm using but I whole heartedly believe that it is indeed doable. I hope you enjoyed. If not, tell me. Like I said, it has been quite some time. Thank you again. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

That afternoon, after school had let out, Cagalli found herself wandering from her locker out in to a half empty parking lot. The autumn sun was starting to dip down below the main building of the school but the heat still hung heavily in a haze across the blacktop. She stopped and stared out at the few cars that remained, a few SUVS and midsized sedans, belonging to the faculty, were spread apart in an uneven arrangement. It wasn't any spectacular sight yet she allowed her mind to wander away while she stood there, not paying any particular attention to any specific car, and let the sun warm her skin. Her mind was still buzzing and she desperately needed a punching bag to release some pent up energy but every attempt had been thwarted by either Kira or an interfering staff member.

Voices, carried by a warm breeze, pulled her attention to the sidewalk that ran adjacent to the school across from the parking lot. There, standing not ten feet from her was Athrun and Meer Campbell, her hands splayed on his chest while her body was one good lunge from being wrapped around his. Bile rose in the back of Cagalli's throat and she charged. Meer never saw it coming. Cagalli shoved her hard back against a tree while Athrun stood in shock.

"What was that for?" Meer stared down at her ruffled blouse before sneering up at Cagalli.

She didn't have an answer, all she knew was that she desperately needed to hit someone or something and Meer seemed like the perfect target, and now all she had to do was hit her. Meer took charged this time. Her gait was long and graceful, something eerily similar to the way Lacus moved, and in no time she had her hands pulling at the short length of Cagalli's blonde hair. It was pure instinct that drove Cagalli to growl at her and then jab her elbow sharply in to her opponents ribs, but before either could get another tug or smack in, Athrun had them pushed apart and stood in between.

"Meer, go home." Athrun leveled his eyes on her. For a moment it looked as if she might argue with him but after a slight hesitation she flipped Cagalli off and stalked back to the school. Now it was Cagalli's turn. Athrun, his eyes ablaze, scanned her from toe to head only to stopped and lock his gaze with hers. "Now perhaps you can enlighten me as to what all that was about?"

She shook her head. Suddenly self-conscious, she folded her arms over her chest, and took a step away from him. "Sorry. I just -"

Athrun stepped towards her in his easy stride and placed both of his hands on her shoulders and squared her off against him. She couldn't bring herself to look up at him, embarrassment flared through her, and tears pricked at her eyes. "Cagalli?"

Quickly, she flicked her eyes up to check his expression. It was calm. Her shoulders sagged. "Can I get a ride home?"

"If all you wanted was a ride, even though I suspect that this was not about that, all you had to do was ask." He grinned.

A little whisper of a sight escaped her. "I'm asking now."

"Ok. Come along."

She stared at him in surprise. "You're not even going to press me to find out what-"

He shrugged. "I can't really say that I minded the intrusion all that much. She was really starting to bug me. I'm really not in to girls like her."

"You're sixteen, that's exactly the type of girl you're supposed to be _in_ to." She made a rude gesture which he dutifully ignored as he led her to his car.

"Maybe I'm just more mature for my age than the rest of the boys here." He laughed, a sound of which Cagalli liked the moment she heard it, and she smiled along.

"That makes it harder to hate you."

Athrun stopped cold in his path and turned to look at her with the most hurt expression she had seen as of late. "Hate me? You hate me?"

A devious little grin picked at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe." He didn't move. She rolled her shoulders and her eyes. "Oh I don't hate you. I don't even _know_ you."

He seemed to relax a bit. "Well I think we need to change that." With a wink he grabbed at her hand and pulled her along behind him towards his car, opened the passenger side door and motioned for her to get in.

"Are you kidnapping me?"

He grinned. "Maybe."

She shrugged and slid in to the interior of the sleek, black car. Inside, the two front seats were racing seats, the center upholstery was neon green and it was very warm from sitting in the sun all day. It smelled wonderfully of sweet cologne and that new car smell. Cagalli relaxed comfortably back in to the chair and buckled herself in while Athrun did the same in the driver's seat. The engine came to life in a soft purr and a gentle rumble, the soft rhythm of some band she didn't recognize drifted from the speakers and filled the cab.

Athrun was a decent driver. Cagalli watched in a curious fashion as he shifted through the gears, turned corners and drove clear across town before finally pulling off on to a dirt road and through a clove of beautiful willow trees whose branches gently brushed the long grass beneath them. Little wild flowers grew amongst the tall grass, dotting the ground with lavender, blues, yellows and in sharp contrast to the blood red of little berries that hung off of little shrubs. The afternoon sun began to dip below the trees casting long shadows from the willow branches across the narrow dirt path.

"Where are we going?" She turned and looked at him. The sun, breaking through the choppy breaks in the trees, danced across his face only enhancing his features. For a sixteen-year-old boy he had the charming looks of a twenty-year-old and Cagalli, for a heartbeat, found herself wanting to touch him.

"You'll see." He winked. His voice broke her from her trance and she went back to watching the wilderness as they drove through it.

The trees began to thin in patches, the grass was shorter and then in a flash there was a house at the end of the path blooming out of a well-manicured lawn. It was a massive house, three stories tall with a massive bay window looking out to the dirt road and a triple car garage tucked a little further back against the backdrop of willows and pines. It loomed up over them as Athrun pulled in to the drive way, the siding was the same color as the bark on the willow trees, the roof was pitched and black. The shutters were painted a crimson red while the window sills and frames were a light gray.

"We're here."

Cagalli looked at him through the corner of her eye. "And where exactly is, _here?_"

"My house."

She gawked at him.

"Come on." He got up out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door for her. She glanced around quickly and got a look at a bit more of the grounds. Running, in a wide strip, against the willows was a pasture where Cagalli spotted a mare. "There's a small lake out back with a bench swing, I'll go in and grab us a snack. If you would care to join me?" He offered her his hand, she took it.

Inside the house was even more impressive. The ceilings were cathedral height, painted a crisp white, and all matters of paintings dotted the walls in the entrance way. A long closet took up one side while a little bench and a shoe rack sat up against the opposite wall. Athrun pulled her through the entry way down a short hallway in to the kitchen where he released her and went straight for the fridge.

_Typical boy._

She smirked.

When he backed out of the fridge his arms were full of pop, cheese, two apples, and a small Tupperware container of something Cagalli couldn't quite see. He dropped it down on the counter and went straight to the pantry where he pulled out crackers and put them down with the rest of the food, rummaging through the cutlery drawer and pulled out a knife and two spoons. From a bottom cupboard he pulled out a woven basket, to Cagalli's surprise, and packed up the food and dishes. "Ok. That should be enough."

"I should think so." She grinned.

In one hand he carried the woven basket and with the other he took Cagalli's hand again and led her back through the short hallway. Instead of going out the door they had come in, Athrun turned down a wide room and out through a set of French doors on to a large deck that stepped down to a patio with an inset fire pit set against the back drop of a moderately sized lake. The lake was surrounded by cat tails and thick reeds that rose high above the water level and hid the wildlife that lived in and around it. The site was breathtaking.

"Wow." She didn't resist as he pulled her down the little crest of a hill towards the small building that housed the swinging bench. They sat down, Cagalli staring quietly out at the calm surface of the lake, while Athrun unpacked the block of cheese and cut himself and Cagalli a piece.

She nibbled on it and watched as a little family of ducks bobbed up and down on the surface of the water. "This is beautiful. Are you royalty or something?"

Athrun's body shook with silent laughter. "Me? No. My Dad has a thing for seclusion and the finer things in life, while my step-Mother prefers nature and beauty."

"Step-Mother?" Cagalli looked over her shoulder at him. A little breeze ruffled up her hair and his, the sunlight bringing out more of the blue in his blue-black hair.

He nodded, laughter ceasing. "My Mother died when I was little."

Her heart gave a painful squeeze. "Oh."

"What about _your_ Mother?" His eyes were soft as they looked over at her.

"It was just me and my Dad. He adopted me on his own."

"Adopted, hm?" Athrun bit in to his apple.

"Long story." A little smile tugged at Cagalli's lips.

"What's so funny about that?" Athrun smirked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking about the apple. You see, Lacus once told me that, you could tell how good a kisser a guy was by the way he ate an apple." Instantly her cheeks burned with the onset blush that followed. Athrun stopped, stared down at his apple, and then blushed just as vibrantly back at her. "Not that I'm thinking about that or anything." She added quickly.

"I never knew that."

"You learn something new every day." She shrugged.

He took another bite of his apple regardless of the current tension surrounding it. It seemed like an eternity before either spoke again. "So tell me this long story."

Cagalli inhaled a deep, cleansing breath and turned her whole body from him to take in the view of the lake and willow trees beyond it. "Well, as you know, Kira and I are siblings – well actually twins. I guess when we were born we were separated, adopted by two separate families with the promise that they would keep us in touch with one another.

"Well I lived four-hundred miles from Kira for the first twelve years of my life, completely ignorant of his existence, alone with Dad. I went to a small school where I fit in better with the boys than the girls and grew up in complete bliss. When I finally met Kira I think I was confused and – I'm not going to lie - excited that I actually had a sibling.

"What I didn't know was that my Father was sick. He thought it was time I got to know my brother and his family, a family I would be dropped in to after he died. He died. I'm here." She inhaled sharply. "I guess it's not that long of a story after all."

"Separated at birth. Wow." Athrun ran a hand through his thick hair. "You should write a book."

"Maybe I should." She shrugged. The warmth of his hand on her shoulder sent a shiver down her spine and she turned to look at him his hand brushed a tear that, she didn't know had fallen, off her cheek. She blushed again.

"How about we change the subject? What's your favorite movie?"

Cagalli laughed, her blush deepening. "Ghostbusters."

Their joint laughter echoed around them and carried over across the water's surface.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Cagalli wasn't sure how much time had passed since the two of them had sat down on the lake shore. The sun was low against the horizon, rays of pink and orange shot out across the sky, and little white clouds drifted smoothly before them. Athrun's company was an easy one to keep. He laughed when she laughed, talked freely about his family and life in Japan, and best of all he left the discussion about her family alone. It wasn't until she could hear someone pulling up the lane that Cagalli realized how late it was and the two of them turned to face the back of the house.

"I think my Dad is home." His voice was a little timid.

"Am I not supposed to be here?"

He shrugged. "He hasn't been in the best of moods since we moved here. I think he really liked it back in Japan, but Mom was just so miserable."

"ATHRUN?" A deep male voice echoed from the confines of the house.

Cagalli exchanged a questioning glance with him before he started to pack up the make-shift picnic. She helped, dropping what was left of the block of cheese back in to the basket, and let him pack up the rest in his own way. After their little area was neat he helped her to stand and they walked back up to the house just in time to meet up with his Father who was coming out the French doors.

"Ah. There you are."

Athrun cleared his throat. "Dad, this is Cagalli. Cagalli, this is my Father, Patrick Zala."

Mr. Zala held out his hand to her and she shook it all the while sizing him up. Patrick Zala was a well-built man with broad shoulders, and a thick neck that supported a well groomed jowl. He was intimidating at best. His hair was graying from age but his eyes still bore deep in to the soul and made Cagalli recoil internally from him and his appraising glances. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Cagalli…?"

He was fishing for her last name but her tongue was paralyzed. His grip on her hand tightened in a good squeeze and she loosed her eyes from his and stared at her hand. It gave her enough control over her thoughts again to speak. "Cagalli Yula Attha."

Mr. Zala grinned and released her hand. "Long name."

Athrun snorted. "Is Mom home too?"

His Father turned to square himself off again his son. "She is. I wouldn't bother her if I were you though, dinner didn't go as well as expected."

"I'm going to take Cagalli home."

"I can drive you two back in. I was hoping to have a little talk with you about that scuffle you were in."

Cagalli glanced at Athrun from the corner of her eye. _He was in the fight too? How come no one mentioned that? _

"We can talk when I get back." Athrun said.

Patrick rolled his shoulders back, for a moment it looked as though he might start up an argument but instead, he turned around with a flick of his hand and walked back in to the house. Athrun relaxed and followed after his Father, Cagalli followed at an arm's length behind him, casting a wistful glance back as the sun dipped beneath the surface of the lake. Athrun dumped the basket on the kitchen table before snatching his car keys off the counter and turned back to Cagalli and nodded towards the front door. The two of them walked back out to his car without saying a word, even as Athrun navigated the narrow dirt road, the two remained silent. It wasn't until they hit the main road, when Athrun started driving a bit more sporadically, that Cagalli finally spoke up.

"Would you slow down please?"

The car instantly slowed. "Sorry. I figured I should get you home before it was completely black outside."

"Well that would be a good idea considering Kira is already in some trouble for getting in to a fight and I don't really feel like giving them a reason to be angry with me as well." She took a short breath. "Speaking of the fight, do you know what happened?" Cautiously, she braved a look in his direction out of the corner of her eye.

His fingers were wound around the steering wheel gracefully, they were long but not delicate like someone who grew up playing the piano, strong and scarred. His knuckles were turning white as he tightened his grip on the wheel. "There was a fight."

"I knew that part already."

Athrun sighed. "I promised Kira I wouldn't say anything."

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Screw Kira! He doesn't control me and he sure as hell isn't the boss of me!" She snapped.

Athrun turned to look at her, a look of contemplation dashing across his face. Finally his shoulders relaxed and he loosened his grip on the wheel and the car slowed right down. He pulled over on the side of the road, letting the car idle, and turned to look full on at Cagalli. "Yzak was just being a dink, I don't even really know how I started talking to him, and it escalated. He and Dearka were joking around about the party Friday night and I made the mistake about mentioning that I was bringing someone. They kept harassing me about who it was and I told them to mind their own but of course they wouldn't let up."

"Did you tell them?"

Athrun held up his hand. "I didn't. I was talking to Kira about it later in class, Yzak overheard and started making a scene – I'm assuming Kira wasn't invited either – and started making rude remarks about Lacus and well, being Yzak. Dearka just guessed who I was bringing, putting the fact that Kira and I were friendly together, and gave Yzak more ammo. Things started to escalate pretty quickly and then before I knew it Yzak was throwing a punch and Kira was stepping up to bat and I somehow got involved and all four of us got hauled in to the principal's office. It was ridiculous." Athrun narrowed his eyes at the rear-view mirror. "Needless to say I'm not going to that party anymore."

Cagalli nodded. "Seems like the best plan of action."

Athrun shrugged and then smirked. "Instead, I'm having one at my house."

"A party? When did you decide this? Are you -"

"Cagalli, relax. I was thinking about it while we were lounging by the lake. My parents are going out hunting for a vacation property and will be gone all weekend. So why not?"

"I think that you're just asking for Yzak to crash and there are a lot of very nice things in your house to break." She reached over and placed a hand over his where it rested on the gear-stick. He glanced over at her.

"I've thought about that too. I'll just do it outside. Maybe, you might want to help me, you know, set up lights and what not?" His cheeks darkened with a blush.

Cagalli rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "Um, I guess. I'm not really that great of a decorator or anything."

He let out a little laugh. "I think you'll be fine."

"Ok. I think you should take me home now."

"Ok." He smirked and drove her home.

"Cagalli?"

Cagalli turned back from where she was pulling up her jeans and tucked in her black camisole. "Ya?"

Kira poked his head around her door. "You decent?"

"I am … now."

"Can I talk to you?"

"Uh … sure. Is breakfast ready?"

He nodded. "It is."

"Still not talking to your parents?"

"You're awfully talkative today." He grinned. "I have, talked to them, I mean. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know earlier this week you were in a bit of a boxing type of mood."

She shrugged and pulled on an olive colored vest. "I was. I dealt with it."

His eyes widened a fraction. "How exactly?"

"Meer Campbell." A little smirked cracked up her face.

"I saw her yesterday, she looked … normal."

"Look, it's none of your business, Kira." Cagalli narrowed her eyes at him in the mirror reflection of him.

"Ok. Are you going to Athrun's party tomorrow night?"

Her eyes nearly closed with the viciousness of her glare.

"Ok. Breakfast is ready."

Cagalli nodded and followed him downstairs, following the salty scent of bacon, as she floated on the wafting cloud of breakfast. It smelled delightful.

_The lake loomed up before her, a hard, reflective surface that mirrored the full moon that hung heavily on an invisible string in the dark night's sky. She sat on the edge of the bank watching as darkness began swallowing up the stars one by one and then only the moon stared down at her. Across the lake stood a shadowed figure, a figure who did not reflect in the water stared back at her. He walked across the lake, its surface turning as hard as glass, and loomed over her. 'Have you forgotten, Cagalli?'_

Cagalli shot up in bed, a cool sweat clinging to her clothes, her clothes clinging to her. She looked hurriedly around the room and the shadows that suffocated the tiny space causing her heart to race faster. Leaning over the mattress she clicked on the lamp next to her bed and looked around the room once again. "Dad?" Her voice was tiny in the warm light of the lamp.

_'Of course he's not here Cagalli, he's dead.'_ Tears welled up over her lashes and fell silently down her cheeks. She cuddled back down with her pillow held tightly to her chest and she sobbed over the loss of her Father again.

Her eyes felt swollen as she navigated her way through her classes. By biology she felt exhausted and laid her head down on the desk while she waited for the class to begin. She didn't even notice that Athrun had arrived until she felt him give her a gentle nudge. She turned her head to the side, her ear resting against her folded arms, and stared at him with her puffy eyes.

"Are you alright?"

She shook her head. A lump the size of her fist balled up in her throat as she fought back the urge to cry again, the fact that she hadn't slept much the night before didn't help that fact. She turned her head back around to stare at the desk top. "I'm just tired." Her voice echoed on the desk inches from her mouth.

"Cagalli, head up please."

She glared up at the woman, her teacher, tapping her foot at the head of the class. Her head hung as she sat up but didn't bother to glance up again for the remainder of the class instead she just stared at her textbook with a strange detachment. Her mind was a blank slate. Every so often she could feel Athrun's eyes on her and his hands would fidget with a pen and then go slack again. When the bell went Athrun didn't pack up as quickly as he used to and Cagalli slowed her exit to watch him stare at his hands.

"Athrun, are _you_ alright?" Her voice was raspy which surprised her a bit.

A shiver ran through him and then he looked back up at her with a little smile. "Oh I'm good. I was just trying to think of who else I could ask to help me do up my back yard."

Cagalli sighed. "I'll still help if you want."

"You look a bit exhausted."

"I think I'm going to go home and have a nap." She shrugged.

"You're not going to class?"

"Spare."

He tapped his chin with one of his slender fingers. "I can work with that."

"Excuse me?" Cagalli screwed up her nose.

Just about as fast as he could he packed up his text book and note book and swung his back pack up on to his shoulder. He reached for her hand and pulled her in to the hallway and out of the school, Cagalli started to resist by dragging her feet while she followed but she was so tired. He opened the passenger door for her and she dropped herself in to the seat and closed her eyes against the morning sun that was hidden behind a soft, fluffy, white cloud. The car lurched forward and her eyes popped open.

"Where are you –" she yawned, "going?"

"Out of town."

"Athrun …" another yawn stole her protest. She gave up. Her body didn't want her to fight anymore, it wanted sleep. As Athrun drove the two miles it took to get out of the busy city centre, Cagalli stole a nap in the passenger seat of his beautiful car.

"Cagalli." Someone was shaking her. "Cagalli, wake up. Cagalli!"

Cagalli opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Athrun outlined by the golden light of the sun. She shook her head and glanced around at the interior of the car and then back at Athrun. "What? Where am I?"

He sighed. "A park just outside of town, I got a little lost getting here so it took a bit longer than I suspected. Are you ok? You were freaking out a bit."

"I'm fine." She opened her eyes a bit more and took in more of Athrun and he smiled warmly down at her. "Help me up?"

He offered her his hand and helped her from the car and out in to the open air of a large park. It was circled by high oak trees, evergreens and power lines. There was a large sandbox with a few play structures, a swing set and a couple other play toys set up in the center of the area with picnic tables, benches circling it and a medium sized fountain with large stone steps that led up to it. The space was not deserted, there were moms and their kids running around playing on the swings, but they kept to the play structure area. Athrun led her towards the fountain.

"This is a cute place. I didn't even know it existed." As they got closer to the fountain she could see a food truck sitting in the parking lot across the short grass of the park.

"I saw it when we moved here. We stopped and ate." He pointed towards the food truck and Cagalli nodded just in time for her stomach to growl. "Hungry?"

"I guess." She shrugged. He pulled her closer to him and wound his arm around her waist, her body stiffened in response but she didn't pull away. They ordered an early lunch and sat on the steps of the fountain and watched as a small group of children ran wildly.

"Why did you skip?" She looked at him over her hamburger.

"I suppose I didn't feel much like studying chemical bonds today when I could spend more time with you instead." He blushed and quickly looked away.

Cagalli blushed in response. "Me? Why? I'm nothing special."

"You are though." He popped a french-fry in his mouth.

Cagalli just shook her head and wrapped up the remains of her burger and folded her arms across her chest. "No, I'm not."

"Why do you think that?" His voice was defensive.

She rolled her eyes. "Athrun -"

His fingers under her chin cut off her train of thought as he kissed her very softly, only the sound of the fountain behind them thundered through her mind. Her fingers curled around the material of his t-shirt pulling him tighter to her, and then she looped her hands around his neck and clung to him all before she felt the tears falling from her eyes. In a flash she shot back and walked to the nearest bench and let her head fall in to her hands.

"Cagalli?" He was kneeling in front of her. "I'm sorry. I don't know …"

"Take me back." A sob rattled her ribs.

"Ok." He went to offer his hand but she walked past him and dropped herself in to his car and he drove her home.

She slammed her bedroom door and threw herself on to the mattress of her bed and sprawled. The tears had stopped. The crying ceased. Her body sagged in disappointment. The exhaustion that was present earlier was gone from the nap she had on the way to the park and the memory of Athrun kissing her filled her senses. _'I am going to go insane with that boy around!'_

In frustration she rammed her hands against the mattress and flailed about in a flurry of anger. In a rage she tore her bedding off her bed, tossed books across the room, pulled the drawers from her dresser. Clothes spewed out across the floor through the air. Her anger swelled to the breaking point of which she pulled apart her desk, swinging a lamp through the air and smashing it on the ground, before she grabbed at a picture frame sitting next to the vacated spot. Her heart stopped. The picture of her and her Father, a happy duo smiling from underneath goofy looking hats behind billowing clouds of cotton candy, made her body shake.

"Cagalli? What on Earth?" She looked up at Mrs. Yamato standing in her doorway, mouth agape as she took in the destruction. Cagalli's knees weakened and she tumbled in to a heap on the ground. "Cagalli!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks as her surrogate mother bundled her up in her arms and rocked her gentle back and forth as she wailed. She spoke tenderly to her and she pulled her fingers through her blonde hair and smoothed it down against her scalp. She'd never had a mother's touch growing up, the thought only made her cry harder, but it was so comforting that she felt the guilt swell up in her. _'I'm sorry Daddy.'_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Mrs. Yamato slid the cup of tea across the island towards a mute Cagalli who simply watched as the tea mixed with the warm water in a swirling motion. She felt numb all over. Mrs. Yamato sat next to her and ran her fingers through her hair to pull it away from her blanched face, her cheeks no longer holding on to the pinch of hysteria. Kira's adoptive mother, now hers, pulled her to her in a one-armed hug and kissed her brow. Cagalli had witness this before with her and Kira once, the day of her Father's funeral, when Cagalli had been in no mood to be friendly and lashed out at her biological brother and his mother had nursed the wound she had opened. Her heart stuttered for a moment with guilt before it vanished in to the abyss that was her empty shell of a mind.

"Drink the tea sweetheart, you'll feel better." Obediently, Cagalli lifted the teacup to her lips and nursed it. The water was just the perfect temperature and there was the exact amount of sugar she liked but it tasted bland to her now. She placed the cup down and watched as it rippled out from the edge.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cagalli shook her head. "Well I think we should. Perhaps I'll make an appointment with Dr. Pal."

At the prospect of sitting down to talk with a shrink Cagalli cringed. "Please don't." Her throat was raw from crying and one sip of tea had yet to fix that.

Mrs. Yamato smiled at her sweetly. "Darling I think we should. It hasn't been six months since he passed and you've done everything possible to keep all your emotions bottled up, it isn't healthy. Now I know how teenagers are and I'm sure that under normal circumstances I should just leave you alone, but this is different. You're my family now, Cagalli, and I take care of my children."

A little lump formed in Cagalli's throat so she washed it down with a few gulps of the cooling tea. "I don't like talking to strangers."

Her – could she call her Mom? – Guardian brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm not a stranger. Talk to me."

She had given up fighting, the little rampage in her bedroom had proven that she wasn't handling things as well as she could be, and decided that maybe it was time to give in. "I've been having nightmares." She confessed.

"And what happens in your nightmares?" Mrs. Yamato stroked her shoulder.

She sighed. "Papa. I see him all the time. He's always asking me if I've forgotten about him, if I've given up, and I can't answer. I want to talk to him." Her chest gave a tight squeeze as her emotions started to resurface.

"Have you given up? Have you forgotten about him?" Mrs. Yamato's stare was challenging, the same look she gave Kira when he was having an issue with his English homework. "I don't think you have, I don't think you ever will, because you Cagalli, well you're a fighter." She smiled.

"No. I guess not."

"Good." She smiled warmly. "That can't be all though?"

Cagalli played with the little handle of the teacup debating if she should tell her about Athrun or not. Finally she gave in. "There's a boy."

Mrs. Yamato's eyes lit up with curiosity. "A boy? Do tell."

Cagalli sighed. "Athrun."

"Oh I remember him. I met his Mother not that long ago."

Cagalli was about to correct her, that she was his stepmother, but decided it was in her best interest to let it slide. "My head is so full of him that I keep thinking I have forgotten about Papa."

Mrs. Yamato looked at her and slowly she watched as the little wheels of understanding clicked in to place. "Cagalli, dear, you're sixteen. Boys are a part of that. There will always be a boy that might make you feel like you've forgotten, but just because you've started to move on with your life doesn't make that true. You're a teenager. This is what teenagers do." She sighed. "I know it might feel like you're betraying him or leaving him behind just because a new person has moved in, and I'm sure with how fast everything has changed for you that is exactly what it feels like, it doesn't mean that you love your Father any less. You're only human sweetheart. You have to give yourself and your heart a chance to live again, to breathe again."

"I just don't want all this teenager crap to make me …"

"Make you what, Cagalli?"

"I don't want to forget. I love my Dad, I always will. I don't want hormones and boys to make me forget what he taught me about life and being myself. I won't let it." Her eyes stung with the threat of new tears.

Mrs. Yamato hummed a little tune and cradled Cagalli against her chest. "Your Father would like Athrun. He's a good kid. Just, let yourself be a kid too every now and then, but always think about what your Father would say before you act. Cagalli, you are a brilliant and beautiful young woman and he would be so proud of how you've handled things up until now. You have to give yourself a break. Do you like this Athrun character?" A little bubble of laughter rolled over the two of them and Cagalli nodded. "Then what happened?"

She blushed. "He kissed me."

"First kiss?"

Cagalli shrugged. "First _real_ kiss."

"That's a pretty big deal." Mrs. Yamato smirked. "What happened?"

"I burst in to tears." The shock of the memory sent her sliding back in to the abyss but Mrs. Yamato gave her a tight squeeze.

"What happened after that?"

"He brought me back here and a tore apart my bedroom."

"What would your Father say about that?"

"He would have liked Athrun." Cagalli shrugged. "He would have grounded me for tearing my room apart though."

"Well I won't ground you for tearing apart your room because I am happy that you finally told me what's going on. As for Athrun, maybe if you talked to him he would understand. As I come to know, he lost his mother at quite a young age, so perhaps he can relate."

"How do parents know so much about their kids' lives and still know nothing at the same time?"  
Mrs. Yamato smirked. "We play dumb."

"Good answer."

She scowled at the clock on the stove for a minute. "Now, I don't suppose you're up to go back to school now, hm?" Cagalli shook her head no. "I wouldn't think so. I still think you should have a session with Dr. Pal? I just believe, in my heart, that talking to him will be far more rewarding than talking to me."

Cagalli gawked at her. "I thought – why?"

"I'm not a doctor, sweetheart, just a Mother. There is really only so much I can do for you with a cup of a tea and a warm hug."

"But I liked the tea and the hug." Cagalli could hear herself whining and snapped internally at herself for being so weak but Mrs. Yamato didn't react to it.

"I know." She kissed Cagalli on the brow again. Argument over. Cagalli was going to have to deal with talking to Dr. Pal again and she wasn't going to like it. "But Cagalli, I rarely get to have these heart-to-hearts about boys so if you ever have a boy problem you want to talk about I am all ears. If you have _any_ problems, I am all ears. I just want you to know that you can always come to me, for anything and everything, no matter what the topic. I'm so happy to have you here with us."

Cagalli was speechless. She went back to nursing her tea while the only mother figure she would ever have let her fingers play through Cagalli's messy, blonde hair over and over again in a soothing fashion.

"Hey Cag!" Kira smiled as he walked through the front door and found her curled up on the dais with her history textbook. "When did you get home?"

"Kira, leave your sister alone, she's doing her homework." Mrs. Yamato snipped from the kitchen.

Kira glanced back and forth between his mother and his twin sister before shrugging and dropping down on the little loveseat across from Cagalli and pulled out his own homework. Apparently doing homework four feet from her didn't constitute as bugging her. He had his chemistry notes in his lap and Cagalli watched as his hand danced across the page of his assignment in lightning speed. For all of their physical and genetic similarities, she did not acquire the brilliant mind that her twin brother possessed, nor did she inherit his charming and outgoing personality. Instead, Cagalli was a sarcastic, tomboy of a mess with grades closer to C's than Kira's A's. She snorted.

"What?" He looked up at her from his chemistry assignment.

She shook her head. "We're twins, right? So why didn't I get the brains you have?"

"Luck of the draw?" He smiled at her. "Are you going to Athrun's party tonight?"

"A party? Oh that sounds like fun." Mrs. Yamato set down a plate of veggies and fruit on the little, round table between them.

"No. I'm not." Cagalli fidgeted with her textbook.

"Why not? I thought you were helping him set up or something." Kira shoved a baby carrot in to his mouth, silencing him for a moment.

"I think you should go." Mrs. Yamato winked at her.

"I think …" Cagalli paused and tried to remember what his mom had suggested about her being a teenager. "It's too many people all at once. I'm not big with crowds." She glanced up at Mrs. Yamato who nodded in agreement and silently left the little sitting area and went back to the kitchen. Whatever she was cooking up for supper was intoxicating and Cagalli's stomach definitely agreed with her nose.

"If you change your mind," Kira glanced over his shoulder back towards the kitchen where his mom has started to make a little bit more noise than she was before, "Lacus and I are going and you can catch a ride if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. How is your history project going?"

She grinned. "I finished yesterday."

Kira's lips twitched. "Really?"

Proud of herself she returned his stunned look with a grand, out of character smile before going back to scowling at him. "While you were getting the third degree from your folks over that fight you were in, I was at the library working by butt off."

"Impressive. I wasn't getting the third degree. They were just a little disappointed in me."

"From what I heard, Yzak had it coming."

Kira nodded in response and silently went back to his chem homework.

"You have to come with! Please?" Lacus was perched on the edge of Cagalli's bed. Thankfully, she and Mrs. Yamato had cleaned up her room after their impromptu meeting with Dr. Pal so nothing, besides the missing lamp, was out of place.

"Don't beg Lacus, it's really annoying."

"I went and helped Athrun set up this afternoon and the whole place looks amazing. Did you know that he has a lake in his backyard? It is absolutely beautiful!"

"_You_ helped him?"

"I offered." She beamed.

"_You_? Why didn't Kira go with you?" Cagalli glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

"Kira is smart but he has no artistic eye." Lacus seemed to retreat a bit. "Athrun does though. His stepmother is an artist, a really good one. She has a huge painting of the lake in their den over the fireplace. Can you imagine? They've only been living there for a few weeks now and she's already painted the whole of the lake on to canvas."

Cagalli eyed her twin's girlfriend with a grand amount of suspicion she usually reserved for boys and strangers peddling candy out of the side of non-descript vans. "No. He showed you the inside of the house?"

"I asked for a tour." She nodded.

"Lacus …"

Kira chose that moment to walk in to her room unannounced with a fresh, green shirt and a dark pair of jeans on. "Hey, are you ready to go?"

"I am." Lacus bounced up. The ivory of her blouse in the setting sun coming through Cagalli's window made her eyes water for a moment as she watched them leave, but not before Lacus turned around and pleaded one last time for her to join them.

"No thanks." Cagalli was starting to think that high school was a bit too much drama for someone with buckets of it coming out her ears already.

**x.x.x/ now I feel as though I should be responding to a few of your reviews but I hope that I've aired them out in the chapter well enough that I won't have to because otherwise I'd be giving things away. Enjoy and more to come **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Not two hours after Kira and Lacus pulled out of the driveway Cagalli found herself alone in the Yamato house. The evening had begun to settle in, casting strange rays of pink and orange across a darkening sky of navy blue, with the only light in the house was coming from the floor lamp next to where Cagalli sat on the couch in the media room. Putting down the homework she had been shuffling through she glanced about the empty, shadow-filled mess of a room that she currently occupied. There were the gaming systems aligned on the shelves next to the TV, movies and books lined the bookshelves adjacent to that, and three big puffy couches swallowed up the rest of the floor space. She sat on the center most couch, facing dead on to the TV that was turned off, weeks of homework spread out around her on the couch, floor and coffee table. Her phone, a gift from her guardians, rested silently on the arm of the sofa.

Mrs. Yamato told her that it was, as was the rule for Kira as well, just for emergencies and family communication. Kira rarely used his phone and up until that Cagalli had never had a second thought about it. Lacus was always somewhere close enough that he could either wave her over to him or pass a note along for her to meet him somewhere while his friends just showed up. People tended to flock to Kira for no real rhyme or reason, okay maybe it was because he was a really nice guy, incredibly talented and smart and not to mention remarkably good looking. Being his twin sister, Cagalli figured that in some small way she too had these traits, and should have the flock of friends to show for it. Instead, Cagalli was blunt, tactless, and honest to a fault usually to the point where people were normally put out versus enlightened. _'Exactly. Enlightened. Going through life being lied to is no way to go through life.'_

She frowned down at the silent phone, with its little LED screen and dark blue exterior, and lifeless, oblong form. There were five numbers in total in the contacts menu. Mrs. Yamato and Mr. Yamato's cell numbers, both their work numbers and then Kira's cell phone number, not even Lacus had been asked to put forth her information in case she might want to chat someday. She debated texting Kira to ask how the party was but that might make him think she wanted to go. Maybe she did want to go. There was a huge part of her that wanted to apologize to Athrun about flipping out on him earlier while the other part was so embarrassed she never wanted to see him again. _'What if he tells people? You'll have to beat him until he promises to keep his mouth shut, that's what!'_

With a sigh of frustration she stood up and walked out of the media room in to the dark hallway and hit every light switch along her way to Kira's room. On the wall, above his desktop computer, was a corkboard-slash-whiteboard filled with numbers, dates, events, appointments, assignments, tests and love notes from Lacus. Entering his room without his permission was the last thing on her mind, she was on a reconnaissance mission and guilt wasn't going to stop her. She flicked on his desk lamp and stared at the looming board she was tasked with. There was a list of names on a yellow sticky note and it seemed as a good of a place to start as any. She moved the other pieces of paper out of the way and saw that it was just a list of people invited to the movie nights, the nights that had been taken over by Athrun's party on this particular weekend.

As quickly as she could, Cagalli thumbed through endless sticky notes, napkins, ripped pieces of paper and long stretches of stapled pages before she finally found what she was looking for. Tape to the bottom of the board, behind a dangling class schedule, was a contact sheet they had made for a group assignment last week. On the bottom of the list was "Zala, Athrun" and his home and cell phone number. Her ears burned. _'This is the most stalker-like nonsense I have ever gotten myself involved in and surprisingly I'm good at it.'_

With a shrug, and a theft of a post-it and a pen, Cagalli exited Kira's room in the same fashion she had found it in. Walking back to the media room she turned off the glow of the lights so that walls, floor, ceiling and knickknacks were once again swallowed by shadows. Cagalli curled up on the couch again and plucked her phone off the armrest of the couch, flicked it open, and stared at is as the screen came to life. She punched in Athrun's number and started to compose a text message but nothing came to mind. Finally she gave in and sent the most generic thing she could think of just – Hey – and walked to her bedroom to change.

Cagalli set her phone down on the top of her dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans that were so worn there were tears in the knees, the back of her thigh and the bottoms had already been cut off once to get rid of the loose ends that had come back. She pulled on a black long sleeved, V-neck shirt and brushed out her blonde hair from its messy disarray. There was still no response from Athrun and she was beginning to think he wasn't going to, so she only had one other option: crash a party. Mrs. Yamato had left her the keys to Mr. Yamato's old beater that he had planned on fixing up and giving to Kira as a birthday gift, before Kira had worked enough to buy his own. It ran fine and it would take her to where she needed to be. She snatched the keys out of the little bowl by the front entrance and turned back to walk through the side door that led in to the garage at the edge of the house.

She didn't know exactly where she was going but Kira had been talking with Lacus earlier about directions while he was getting ready and Lacus was trying to convince her to come along. After hours of doing homework by herself and staring at a blank TV screen she had already started to wish she had gone with them and even now, as she drove along a dark and empty highway, she was wishing she had taken up Lacus's offer. It was obviously too late but still the thought crossed her mind unbidden a few times before she finally found the turn off in to Athrun's lane. At first it looked completely foreign, with the long shadows lurking between shadowed trees and even darker grass taller than herself, but then the little wildflowers – still blooming in the evening – caught her eye and led her safely towards the house. There were cars parked everywhere!

_'Shit. Maybe I should've parked back on the lane?'_ She was about to go in reverse when she saw someone stalking towards the car she was attempting to maneuver and recognized Kira in an instant. He walked over and tapped on the window.

"Hey Cag. You actually decided to come. Nice to see. You can park behind us just up ahead, I'm sure I won't mind." He winked at her as he directed her to where he and Lacus had parked earlier, right near the fence where a few horses stared at her curiously.

For a moment Cagalli stood with Kira at the edge of the fenced in pasture and stared back at the tan mare who watched them. It was peaceful for that moment. Kira stood there, perhaps almost protectively, next to his sister while she contemplated running for the hills. "Athrun was asking about you." Kira stated.

Cagalli rolled her shoulders back. The peace had been disturbed and now, with the mare watching them, she felt just as uncomfortable as always. "That's nice."

She heard Kira try to fight back a little laugh. "I think it is. He and Lacus have been chatting for the better half of an hour."

"Jealous?" Cagalli smirked at him.

"Maybe." Kira widened his shoulders just a bit. Maybe it was the whole twin-sibling connection every talked about or just gut instinct but Cagalli could almost feel how much it bothered him.

"Tell you what," she dropped her hand on to his arm and forced a smile. "I'll distract Athrun while you go dance with Lacus. Sound good?"

Kira stared at her, a little smirked twitching across his lips. "I feel if I make a smart comment right now you'll just smack me so, I think it sounds great."

Cagalli nodded. "You're right. I would have smacked you."

They walked down the little hill that crested just high enough that you could see the entire expanse of the lake below and the large gathering of minors to boot. Together they walked shoulder to shoulder, slipping around little bunches of teenage girls and boys, trying not to get separated or spilled on. Finally they found Athrun and Lacus amongst another little bunch of people, they were at the center of a very loud conversation which stopped instantly once Cagalli and Kira broke in.

Athrun's eyes found hers in a split second. "Hi Cagalli, thanks for coming."

"Hey." Cagalli smiled sheepishly at him. "Thanks for the invite. Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." He nodded in acknowledgment.

She led him back up the hill and over to the now empty patch of pasture where her car was parked and stopped near a fallen log - or maybe it was placed there strategically as a place to sit – who knew. "Are you heading home so soon?" He wasn't looking directly at her but at the car she had come in

She glanced back at the little, white car she had arrived in and turned back to look at Athrun with her arms folded over her chest. "Do I look like I'm going home?"

His lips twitched in to a small smile and he dragged his eyes from her messy, straight, blonde hair down to her worn and torn jeans. "You look like you got in a fight with a cat."

"Thanks." Cagalli rolled her eyes and tightened her arms around her. "Um … I'm sorry about earlier." She dropped her eyes from his.

"What do you mean?" She watched as he shuffled from foot to foot as he stood in front of her waiting for her reply.

"Freaking out."

He shrugged. "It's fine. I shouldn't have kissed you without asking."

Cagalli's eyes flashed back up to his face and bit at her bottom lip. "I … liked the kiss." The warmth of a blush crept up from her neck to her cheeks.

"You … really?" In the dark of the evening his green eyes shone emerald beneath a waning moon. "I thought I overstepped."

She shook her head. "No. I've been going through a lot lately and haven't been dealing with it – that doesn't really matter though. I'm sorry if I made you feel like crap at all."

He closed the space between them and wound his arms around her and pulled her in for a tight hug. She tucked her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him to her while the sounds of the party reverberated around them. Cagalli closed her eyes and took in the scent of the strange boy who had somehow managed to get just as wrapped up in her life as she was and she didn't mind one bit.

Athrun's body started to shake with silent laughter. "Did you want to dance?"

Cagalli raised a brow and stared up at him from beneath her fringe. "Me? Dance? Oh I don't think so."

Athrun chuckled again. "Something to drink maybe?"

"That sounds good." Cagalli nodded against Athrun's chest and smiled to herself. He wound his arm around her back and guided her down the crest of the hill towards a long table set up on the outskirt of the fire pit. The table was lined with bowls of chips, pyramids of pop cans – both full and empty – trays of vegetables and plates of cookies and other "from the bag" goodies. A large bowl of ruby colored punch sat in the middle of the table with stacks of blue, plastic cups surrounding it. Athrun reached down with his free hand and scooped up a cup and handed it to Cagalli who poured herself some punch and snatched a cookie off the plate closest to it.

The punch was extremely sweet with a bitter kick to it but it was fruity and delicious. Cagalli drank down her first glass while she filled up a plate of munchies. Athrun did likewise, poured himself another glass of punch and grabbed a handful of chips out of a dish and plopped them down on a red, plastic plate. "Hungry are we?" Cagalli glanced sideways at him from the corner of her eye, a little smirk spreading across her face.

"A little. I didn't finish my lunch."

"Sorry about that." Cagalli shrugged.

Athrun leaned over and caught her up again, his lips pressing lightly against hers, causing her to drop the plate and the cup in her hand down on her feet. Her eyes were wide open as he pulled back, a fresh coating of blush painting his cheeks and nose a deep rose color, but she was smiling like a goof. His fingers still lingered along her jawline as he took a half step from her space and she grinned up at him.

"What was that?" She blinked up at him through her lashes.

"Picking up where I left off." Athrun shrugged.

**::/Note:: Okay so sorry for the delay. I just moved and had no internet there for a little while. There will be a delay on the next chapter … maybe a week or two. So sorry. Should be good though ;) /::**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Cagalli was beside herself with glee, an emotion that she hadn't felt in eons, to the point where her cheeks were beginning to ache with the greedy smile she had donned. Taking a half step towards Athrun, she closed the space between them, and folded herself in his arms while the party grew distant. Without a warning, Athrun stole her hand and pulled her back towards the throng of teenagers, only stopping once to grab them each a glass of punch before slipping through the locked garden doors and in to the house. Cagalli took a swig of the punch, it was so heavily laced with alcohol that she barely managed to swallow it, and inquired after where it was he was taking her.

"The den, that way I can see the party and the front lane. No surprises that way." He grinned over his shoulder at her.

The walls closer to the den were decorated with fine stencils, heavy works of art and a few random mirrors and photographs of the family and even one with Athrun as a baby being coddled by his birth mom. Athrun looked more like his Mother than his Father except for the confidence that they both seemed to exude. Cagalli made a mental note to ask about his birth mother again.

After what seemed like hours they emerged in to a room that was incredibly long and narrow and took over the last fifth of the massive house. There was no TV, just three large couches - only the finest of leather and throw pillows – and a wall of bookcases filled to the bursting point with literature of every shape, size, color and genre. Cagalli felt incredibly small standing adjacent to a collection that very well could be older than herself.

Athrun pulled her down on to the couch that ran along the opposite wall. From there they could see the party going on outside, right down to the edge of the lake, as well as the entire opening to the front lane. Inside they were invisible without any lights turned on whatsoever but the people outside were like a play acting out before their very eyes. Cagalli picked out the few she recognized and watched them until the presence of Athrun became so overwhelming that she had to look his way. He too was watching their classmates just beyond the window panes.

"How do you make friends so easily?" Cagalli stared at him dead on.

Athrun sat back for a moment and then just shrugged. "Not sure. Why are you my friend?"

"You talk to me like I'm not damaged and you leave me alone without me having to say a word, I like that."

Athrun wound an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. He smelled deliciously sweet, a little cologne mixed with the fruity scent of the punch. She took another sip from her cup, forcing the bitter liquid down, and smiled up at him. "Now, why are you friends with me?"

He laughed. "You're stubborn, unafraid to speak your mind and might I add, beautiful."

Her cheeks instantly heated up to the temperature of the surface of the sun and forced down another gulp of the tangy punch before looking back at him. "Good answer."

With a shrug he pulled her cup from her hand and set it on the little end table, it was the entire span on the couch and an Athrun from her, there was no way she was getting it back. "I think someone spiked it. You must have quite the tolerance for alcohol."

"You mean, you didn't spike it?"

"No," Athrun shook his head, "it tastes horrible."

"Did you actually make the punch?"

"No. Someone brought it."

"Makes sense. Teenagers have a way of finding the keys to the liquor cabinet and sharing it with the less fortunate." Cagalli smirked.

"I can see that. I myself prefer to have a clear head when my parent's house and possessions are at stake, not to mention my freedom and my ass."

"And what a fine ass it is …"

For a moment the room was filled with just the hollow sounds of white noise before Cagalli burst out laughing. "Oh no, did I really just say that out loud?"

Athrun nodded with a wild grin, but his eyes were dark. He bent his head closer to hers and stole a kiss before she could barely catch her breath from her laughing fit. Her hands played with the collar of his shirt, his stayed respectfully on her thigh. It wasn't her norm to go around kissing boys while his parents were away, it wasn't even close, but this felt good. Normal. This was what teenage girls were supposed to be doing on the weekends, not hiding in their rooms listening to loud music and drinking enough espresso to kill a person just so they won't fall asleep. Kissing Athrun felt easy, just like talking with him.

He broke the kiss and brushed his nose against hers ever so gently. "Is it weird being in here while everyone else is just outside the window?"

She shook her head. "I sure as hell wouldn't be doing it with an audience."

"Good point." He gave her a soft smile.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm regretting inviting everyone here. I should've just asked you over."

"See but then I would have been really freaked out and probably would have made some excuse as to not show."

They laughed together just as a set of headlights bounced around on all the reflective surfaces in the narrow room. "Expecting someone?" Cagalli played with a curl next to his ear.

Little goose bumps rose down his neck as he turned with a shrug and caught her up in another kiss. They were so caught up in their little hormonal/alcohol induced make out session that they almost missed the screaming coming from outside. Finally the banging on the back door brought them back to the real world and Athrun was running for the backyard pulling Cagalli along behind him. Cagalli blanched when she saw the scene just beyond the French doors that opened up on to the deck.

Yzak and his band and merry men had managed to effectively crash Athrun's party, a box of beer was ripped open and they all stood around a gasoline fueled fire shouting obscenities at the others. The refreshment table was turned on its side, all the delicious food and beverages were splayed across the ground, while cups and plates were scattered even further from the wreckage.

"What the hell do you guys think you're doing?" Athrun snarled.

Cagalli looked around and found a few girls hiding by the lake just beyond the reeds where they wouldn't be spotted. Kira and Sai were just a few of the people Yzak and Friends were yelling at. This whole scene had gotten old fast and Cagalli didn't, she never had, put up with bullies and the disrespect of other people's property. "You losers think that crashing a party makes you cool? Really? No it makes you a merry band of idiots. Take a hike."

"Or what?" Yzak swung his head around and locked his eyes on her. "You're gonna call your Daddy? Oh wait … you can't."

Cagalli felt her fist connect with a face, at first she wasn't sure who's face it was, but it felt amazing. A second later Yzak was lying in a twitching pile just a foot from her while Dearka, and some other guy she didn't care to name, stood gaping at her. Yzak spit at her and she was about to kick him where the sun don't shine when an arm wound around her waist and pulled her back. It was Kira.

"Athrun called the police."

"What? He'll get in trouble." Cagalli swayed a bit.

"Someone's hurt, Cagalli."

She glanced around real quick. "Who? You aren't talking about the lowlife are you?"

Kira shook his head and indicated towards the little group of girls that had emerged from the reeds. Tolle had a bloody nose and was lying in the circle of girls, Mirriallia had his head propped up on her knees, while Athrun and Sai stood nearby.

"How did that happen?"

Kira sighed. "Spiked punch."

"Oh."

"Did he say 'police'?" Dearka gaped at them.

"Yes. Now get lost." Kira narrowed his eyes and indicated with a rude gesture for them to leave.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Dearka bolted, the nameless guy stared after him and helped Yzak to his feet.

"You're lucky." Yzak snarled.

Cagalli's body tensed with the urge to deck him just once more but Kira had a firm grip on her arm. _'No, you're lucky.'_

The next day Cagalli hovered over her cellphone from the time she woke up to when she was forced to put it away so that they could sit down and have supper together. Saturdays were usually a busy day amongst the Yamato household. There were outings, homework, sporting events, movie marathons, business trips, dancing, fancy dinners and occasionally a house full of teenagers eating Mrs. Yamato's famous dip. Today was different. Cagalli and Kira were both under house arrest for the rest of the week. The little party at Athrun's had ended up with an ambulance carting away Tolle with Mirriallia in tow and Kira and Cagalli being escorted home by a very nice police officer that didn't charge them for underage drinking.

Mr. Yamato just shook his head and sent them to bed and woke them both up at the crack of dawn when he left for his business trip in Dallas. Together they had been miserable for the entire day. No TV. No laptops. No movies. No phone calls. Cagalli had managed to hide the fact that she had been latched on to her cellphone for the entirety of the day but not the fact that she was agitated.

"So, how is it?"

"Great, Mom." Kira smiled. He was an excellent actor.

Cagalli forced a smile and swallowed the lasagna down hard. Her stomach had been unsettled the entire day, she knew exactly why, but she couldn't help it. "May I be excused?"

"Not until you finish what's on your plate." Mrs. Yamato gave her the most gentle of looks but it was like hellfire rained down. Cagalli's stomach couldn't handle the heaping pile of food that Mrs. Yamato had dished out even on a normal day. This was another form of punishment that she wasn't all that fond of. Kira on the other hand ate with reckless abandon.

"I really can't eat anymore."

"I'll eat it." Kira went for her plate but his mom smacked his hand away before he could get it.

Mrs. Yamato's eyes were hard and the line of her mouth was unforgiving. "Now Cagalli, you haven't eaten anything all day so you're going to eat what's on your plate before you leave this table. Understand?"

Cagalli nodded and forced herself to eat. She managed to work her way through half of it before the phone rang and Mrs. Yamato excused herself to answer it, at that point Kira scarfed down the rest of her food and excused himself as well. Cagalli poked at the last noodle on her plate and tried to listen to the phone conversation. She'd heard that it was Lacus calling and Mrs. Yamato explained that neither of her 'children' would be returning any calls. She had given the same speech to Sai and Mirriallia beforehand.

When she returned she glanced suspiciously at Cagalli's empty plate and then with a flick of her wrist excused her adopted daughter from the dining room. Cagalli made a beeline for her room, made a show of slamming the door and locking it, before throwing herself down on her bed and pulled out her cell from its hiding place. There were three missed texts. Her heart stopped.

In hell.

Grounded and my parents

have to escort me

everywhere for two weeks.

Zala

See you Monday?

Zala

Let me guess.

Grounded from your phone?

Mom gave me mine back.

She said it is for emergencies.

Zala

No.

I hid mine.

Sorry.

~Cagalli

Very clever.

Zala

Down right brilliant

I think

~Cagalli

You are

Zala

Is there more of that text?

~Cagalli

See you Monday?

Zala

Of course.

I'll be the one sitting next

to you in biology writing you

love notes like a thirteen year

old girl. Dotting my I s with

3s

~Cagalli

There should really be

a text for sarcasm.

Zala

Yup

~Cagalli

I like love notes though.

Zala

Too bad.

My correspondence skills

are awful.

~Cagalli

Well we are both jailbirds

so thats just how it has

to be

Zala

See you Monday,

Jailbird.

~Cagalli

Monday

Zala

Cagalli grinned down at her phone and stashed it back inside its hiding place before cranking her too loud music and debating on making some coffee. Monday would never come fast enough.

**::/ Okay so that chapter flew by pretty quick … got the next one in the works … just felt rotten for taking my sweet time on the last one **** I will be waiting for the 'what's going to happen now?' reviews and boy am I looking forward to them!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"No, I was right. Just admit it." Cagalli leaned back against her supporting wall with her arms folded over her chest in her normal stubborn fashion.

"This clearly proves you were _wrong_." Kira narrowed his eyes at his twin sister.

"That proves _nothing_ but the fact that you're a sore loser." She grinned.

"Just because you got the better grade does not mean you were right!" Kira scowled out her before breaking out in to a full pout.

"Well maybe if _you_ got in to less fights on the schoolyard your assignment would be of a higher caliber." Cagalli grinned deviously.

"Would you two cut it out please?" Lacus rolled her eyes and snatched both written essays out of their hands. "It is a half of a percentile point that makes the difference between these two grades. It is not a competition but Kira, Cagalli did this project all on her own and did a job better than the same project done with two, so please give her the credit she deserves. Now, no more fighting." Lacus sighed.

"Fine." Kira shrugged.

"Thank you Lacus. I knew I liked you." Cagalli batted her eyelashes all the while wearing her smug little smile to boast over Kira.

"What are we discussing?" Athrun poked his head in to the little trio that had been camped out in the library ever since the assembly had started after first period.

"How awesome I am." Cagalli grinned at him.

Athrun dropped down in the vacant chair next to her and tossed his arm casually over the back of the little plastic chair her butt occupied. Kira and Lacus stared over the table at the casual way the two sat next to each other, neither really noticing anything different in the atmosphere. Finally Kira rolled his eyes. "So are you two dating now or what?"

Athrun and Cagalli exchanged a glance. They had both been under house arrest for the past week since the incident at his house during the infamous party. Tolle had a broken nose and a slight concussion, no charges were laid, but he was still out of school for a while because his mother was super over-protective. Athrun was basically a hermit for two weeks besides attending his regularly scheduled classes, as was the same for both Kira and Cagalli, while Lacus had gotten off with a warning not to disappoint her Father again. That may have been worse than getting grounded. Yzak however was the bigger story. His nose was broken. His left eye was black, blue, purple, yellow and swollen and yet he refused to admit that a girl had gotten the better of him and knocked him out. Those that knew the truth kept to themselves but still joked about it in private, which were moments like these in the library. However neither Cagalli nor Athrun had been privy to enough free time to discuss their 'relationship' in the past week.

Cagalli shrugged. "Does it matter?" Lacus's mouth twitched but she remained silent.

Kira rubbed his temples and stared down at the flat of the table they were seated around. "No I suppose not."

"Good." Cagalli smirked and cast a sideways glance at Athrun who was staring quietly at the ceiling. _'Guess it matters to him …'_

"Maybe we should sneak in to the assembly?" Lacus wove her fingers together on the table top. In a simple nod Kira agreed and he and Lacus vacated the library holding hands in a comfortable silence, they only glanced back once to see if Cagalli and Athrun were following – which they were not – and then disappeared in to the empty hallway.

"So … what are we?" Athrun pulled his hands in to his lap.

Cagalli rolled her shoulders forward and hunched over in her chair. "I …" Cagalli searched for the right words which was not a talent she was born with. "Experimenting?"

His head whipped around to look at her so face she thought it might go flying off in to the bank of computers behind them. "What?"

She exhaled roughly. "I don't know. Do I look like the kind of girl who has a lot of these experiences? Can't we just see what happens? I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with; maybe you'll get sick of me." She gnawed on her bottom lip in an uncharacteristic manner.

He turned his body to face her and took up her hands, which sent her glancing around furiously to make sure no one was spying, and then he kissed her right thumb. "I have had some of these experiences, Cagalli; I doubt I'll ever get sick of you. There is way too much about you that I haven't seen and need to learn and I look forward to that."

She, out of habit, rolled her eyes. "Seriously? We are teenagers, basically you should've just said you want to get in my pants and then move on." She grinned.

"You insult me." He smiled back playfully.

"Maybe we should also join the assembly. I don't feel like getting another absence slip for something so stupid."

"You mean, you aren't actually allowed to be in here?" Athrun's eyes widened a margin.

"No. The librarians leave me alone for the most part so they would never tattle but they also won't defend me if I get caught." She shrugged.

"Then we best be going." Athrun pulled her up out of her chair and tight to his chest and wound his arms around her waist. He kissed her quickly before spinning her out away from him again and pulled her along behind him down the hall to the auditorium where they slid in the back row with Kira and Lacus. It was perfectly dark in the room, especially in the back row, and would have been a perfect teenage 'hideout' if it wasn't for the teacher sitting at the opposite end of the same row. "So much for that idea."

Cagalli felt her face flush and tried to focus on the presenter on the stage below them, it was the big crime dog mascot that preached the "Stay in School, Don't do drugs" motto to the younger grades. It was hell. Being stuck in a dark room, with Athrun's enticing scent on one side and her brother wedged in between her and a teacher, all the while listening to an overly plush mascot speak about underage drinking. _'Oh. That can't be a good sign.'_

"That was lame." Fllay rolled her eyes at the lunch table. She was seated next to Sai who had seemed a bit lost since Tolle's hospitalization the previous weekend, but next to her he seemed a little bit more like himself. The rest of the table tolerated her bitching for him even though Cagalli debated shoving her juice box in her face a few times. "I hate getting preached to by adults that probably did the exact thing they are warning against when they were young."

_'Valid point. Maybe she's not so dumb after all.'_

"I mean, you pretty much have to be a drunken moron to get in to that smelly mascot uniform anyway."

_'Don't roll your eyes, it probably does smell, even if she is a moron.'_

"Where's Athrun?" Sai glanced up at Cagalli.

A little blush crept up over her cheeks. "Part of his punishment is that he has to have lunch with his Step Mom, and occasionally his dad, every day instead of with us. Apparently we are all very bad influences."

Kira snorted. "I think he meant _you_ are a bad influence, Cag."

"Am not!" She levelled a glare on her brother.

"You two are so siblings." Mirr giggled. She and Lacus were exchanging notes from one of their classes while Lacus politely inquired as the well-being of Tolle. He was doing very well and enjoying the copious amounts of attention and Jell-O he was being showered with.

"I'm the cuter one though." Kira winked at Lacus.

Lacus, with a devious little wink, looked back at him and smiled. "I think Cagalli is far cuter, Kira."

Kira paled as the whole table sputtered with laughter, even Cagalli had to admit it was good to hear Lacus crack a joke at someone else's expense for a change. Fridays were awful days at school. No one wanted to be there and the day always dragged on for far longer than it should, and now that Athrun had been removed from the group for the lunch hour, things just began to wind down all the much more quickly.

"How long?" Sai was staring at Cagalli again.

"Huh?"

"How long is he being punished for?"

"Two weeks."

He snorted. "That's not very long."

Cagalli narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me?"

"He threw that party, Cagalli. A party where not one, but two people were injured and he should be held accountable to that."

_'Don't hit him.'_ "You're kidding right? Tolle drank himself silly on a punch that Athrun didn't supply and Yzak crashed the party and started making crude remarks that I silenced him for. And how did you fare? Hm? A slap on the wrist? Did you get punched? Did your business get pulled in to a pissing contest? No! So shove it!" Cagalli snapped and made her way out of the lunch room, her heels digging in to the linoleum hard.

"Impressive bitch out session."

Cagalli spun to find Dearka hiding in the stairwell that resided just outside the cafeteria doors. He looked different. "You making a habit of watching me from afar now?"

He shook his head. "No, just eating my lunch. I didn't realize I was getting a show with my meal though." His tone was unusually light for one of Yzak's little group.

"What do you want Dearka?"

"Nothing. I was just making small talk." He shrugged and leaned back against the wall in the least non-threatening fashion.

"Alright. I will be on my way then." Cagalli turned away and continued her retreat to her locker but Dearka followed. "Seriously, what do you want?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you following me?"

He rolled her eyes and ran a hand through his dusty blonde hair. "My locker is right down the hall from yours. Is that a problem?"

"It is when you start following me around."

"Then let me go first."

Cagalli stepped aside and gestured for him to walk ahead of her, which he did after bowing to her and then strode a great length down the hall and stopped in front of a locker where Yzak's little group usually hung out in front of. _'Well that explains that.'_

"Cag." Athrun's joyful voice tinkled down the hall. She turned and saw his Step Mother escorting him through the school to his locker; his expression did not match his voice.

"Hi Athrun. Afternoon Mrs. Zala."

"Cagalli right?" She had a lovely voice.

"Yes."

"It is nice to finally meet you. Athrun talks about you constantly." She smiled warmly and then turned back to her stepson. "I will meet you out front at the end of the day, don't dawdle."

"Yes, Mom."

She blew him a kiss and vanished back down the hall when Athrun's expression relaxed and he slouched against the lockers next to Cagalli's. "That was awful."

"Why?"

"She kept asking about you."

"Me? Why?"

"I brought you up. I was just talking about biology."

"What kind of biology, the class, or the hormones of teenage boys and girls?"

Athrun snorted. "Class."

"That hardly seems like an exciting enough topic to make her so curious about me."

"I may have mentioned a certain kiss at a fountain."

Cagalli stiffened briefly and stared at the contents of her locker with a distant recognition of each item. She stole a glance in his general direction only to find that he was watching her carefully and she relaxed ever so slightly. "I hope she doesn't think I'm crazy." Kira's words swung through her mind. "Or a bad influence or anything like that."

"No. Mom, she seems to understand the pressures of being a kid more than Dad and from what she's heard, she likes you."

Cagalli released a sigh of relief. "Good."

Athrun's hand drummed a little beat on the surface of the locker door next to hers as he waited for her to pull her books out for her next class. "You wouldn't want to have supper at my place Sunday night by any chance, would you?"

"You're kidding right? I think your dad hates me."

"No, not hate. He has never really liked any of my friends or my last girlfriend for that matter."

"Last girlfriend?"

"Jinny. Nice girl. Good family. Extremely boring and a little stuck up however." Athrun rolled his shoulders back against the locker while Cagalli closed up her own.

"Pretty?"

"Black hair, brown eyes, I guess she was pretty."

"Let me get this straight: she was boring, a snob and average looking and you dated her? Why?"

Athrun shook his head. "To connect her family to mine for my Father's benefit."

Cagalli blushed a bit. "Oh. Well that sucks."

"What did your Father do for work?"

"Mainly politics but he was also an engineer for a company his Father started back when he was young. The company is run by another family member now."

"What kind of politics?"

"He was the mayor of our small town."

"I'm dating a politician's daughter, hm, this could be fatal."

"Dating?"

"I think so yes. At least, once this ridiculous house arrest nonsense is over with, I intend to take you on a real date. You know, restaurant, movies, making out in the car." Athrun took her hand and walked her to her next class.

"A real date? I don't think I've ever been on one of those." She tightened her hand around his.

"I have a week to plan it so be prepared for a good night."

"As long as I don't have to dress up, or for that matter wear a dress, it will be."

"You don't own a dress, do you?"

"I do not. I was raised by a man, I never wanted the frilly dresses my classmates had, I just wanted jeans and to help my dad change the oil on the car. Does that make me butch?"

"No. I believe the correct term is 'tomboy'. You should own a dress for special occasions though."

"Why? Slacks work just as well and they are far more comfortable."

"I guess. I'm not a girl, so I wouldn't know."

"Make you a deal, you wear a dress for eight hours and, I will wear a dress on this awesome date you're planning."

"Do I have to wear it to school?"

"Do you want to get expelled?" Cagalli smirked. "No. We will have this little challenge on the Sunday after your house arrest has been lifted."

"If I do it, you'll wear a dress on our date?"

"Yes. A dress."

"A dress I pick out?"

"What? Do you have a sexy, backless number in mind?"

Athrun smirked and kissed her quickly before perching in his seat next to her.

"Athrun? You don't, do you?"

"I guess you will just have to wait and see."

"I hate surprises."

"You won't hate this one, I promise you."

"Oh Shinn I just don't understand!" Luna whined.

The blonde haired bombshell had him so distracted that he barely heard her cries even if Cagalli was getting a little annoyed. Finally she got up and helped Luna with their communications assignment. It was her last class of the day and she was going to be damned if she was going to sit there and listen to someone blubber. "Better?"

"Thank you Cagalli." Luna shot a glare at the blonde girl who Cagalli knew now as Stellar. The girl had been present at Athrun's party and had been sharing all the dramatic details on Monday in her sultry voice with Shinn, who had been wise and went out of town for the weekend instead, even if his friends had banded with Yzak to crash the party. Auel had been the nameless one that had stood with Dearka and Yzak at the fire. _'Idiot'_

"So when are you un-grounded?" Luna glanced back at Cagalli curiously.

"Monday."

"We should all do pizza to celebrate." Luna beamed. "Maybe we can even get Rey to come with us Shinn."

Shinn laughed. "That is doubtful but I agree we should celebrate."

"We really don't have to." Cagalli shook her head and turned her back on them.

"It will be fun!" Luna smirked.

"What about you Stellar?" Shinn turned to look at the blonde whose blouse was open just enough that you could see the definition of her breasts which Shinn stared at casually.

"I can't. Auel would get a little testy if I hung out with _her_."

"And what exactly is wrong with _me_?" Cagalli narrowed her eyes at you.

Stellar's smile belonged to that of a fallen angel and made Cagalli's stomach twist uncomfortably. "I know the truth about Yzak's black eye."

"Good." Cagalli sat up a little straighter and went back to her work.

"So? Are we celebrating Monday night or not?" Luna's voice swelled over the silence of the computer lab. Cagalli heard, more than saw, Shinn shuffle in his seat before confirming plans to celebrate and that was the end of the conversation for the rest of the class.

"Making friends with the freshman is kind of sad Cagalli." Kira teased on their drive home.

"I think it's nice." Lacus smiled at her from the passenger seat.

"I think it's going to be hell." Cagalli sank further in to the backseat.

"Lighten up, Cag. They are just a bunch of freshmen." Kira stared at her in the rear-view mirror as he turned on to Lacus's street to drop her off since he and Cagalli were still technically grounded. Cagalli frowned at him from where she sat and tightened her grip on herself as she watched them exchange a quick goodbye kiss and then Lacus leapt out of the car and half-ran up the sidewalk. The wind had quite the bite to it.

"Have you thought about what you might want to do for Halloween?" Kira asked as she maneuvered herself in to the passenger seat next to him.

She shook her head. "I tend to not think that far ahead."

"I've noticed." He smirked. "Lacus and I were thinking about having a haunted house party. Her grandparents own this old land plot with a vacant house on the property and she was going to ask if we could use it."

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "No more parties for me. At least until I'm ninety."

"This one will be exclusive." Kira stated.

"Never lasts." Cagalli shrugged and leaned back in to her seat. "I think I may just stay home and watch horror flicks, or Casper: the Friendly Ghost, all night."

"Suit yourself. Nothing is for sure yet anyway, so you still have a few weeks to change your mind."

_'Not going to happen this time.'_ "What was Sai's problem today?"

Kira shrugged. "I don't think he likes Athrun very much and now, by association, you."

"He should get over himself."

"His best friend was hospitalized at a party that Athrun -"

"I don't care Kira." Cagalli snapped. "It happened. Move on."

"Pretty tough words for someone who still hasn't moved on herself."

Cagalli, for the first time since she had met Kira, actually felt like slapping her twin brother. As he rolled up to a stop sign, three blocks from the house, she whipped open the door and started running the opposite direction. She could hear Kira calling after her for a brief moment and then he either gave up or the wind stole his voice away, either or, he didn't follow after her. Moving on from a disastrous party was not the same thing as _moving on_ after the death of a family member and it was horribly insensitive of Kira to even say such things, he never talked to her like that. Ever!

She ran for a few blocks in the opposite direction of the house and stopped to catch her breath on the wide sprawling lawn of a small ranch style home. The sun was starting to set, the wind was growing bitter and the clouds were rolling in. The whole scene had a bad slasher flick vibe to it and she instantly regretted getting out of the car and wish she had just hit her brother.

"Cagalli?"

She whirled around to find Dearka stepping out of the front door of the house and felt that same eerie chill tremble up her spin. "Oh."

"What are you doing on my lawn?"

"Breathing. I'll leave."

"Ok. It's getting kind of dark though." A little ghost of a smile cracked up his face. "My parents are home if you want to come inside."

"Uh huh. No thanks. I think I'll take my chances out here."

He rolled his eyes and tossed his hands in the air. "Oh for Christ's sake come inside."

"You're kidding, right? Yzak's probably in there just waiting to get a little revenge on."

"Yzak's grounded for two months. His parents are crazy strict about the whole social scene thing."

"Grounded? Really? He seems like the kind of person that would sneak out-"

"Dearka, who are you talking to?" A short, slender woman with a gentle face carved out of caramel and hair as pale as the sun peaked around Dearka from where he stood on the front step. "Oh. Hello there."

"Mom, Cagalli and I were just chatting. Is supper almost ready? Do you need help?"

"It will be in about twenty minutes. I would like some help setting the table for dinner so your father can finish his business call."

"Ok. I will be right in."

"Cagalli, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Oh no, no thank you."

"Are you sure? I made dumplings."

"You might as well. No one has ever said no to Mom's dumplings." Dearka grinned.

With a sigh of resignation she nodded and followed the two of them inside, kicked off her shoes politely in the front entrance, and sat down on the sofa Dearka had directed her to. She could hear the clinking of plates and the chime of cutlery being pulled out of the drawer as he set the table and the smell of the dumplings sent her stomach rejoicing. Irritated she glared down at her belly as if willing it to stop growling.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Dearka was propped up against the back of the couch she was sitting on causing her to start at his voice.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Dearka sat down on the couch opposite Cagalli and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees while he stared intently at her, awaiting her response. She wasn't sure how to gauge his attentiveness or the fact that – for what she considered – he was being nice to her. Maybe it was just the fact that he was in the presence of his parents or maybe Dearka really wasn't an ass but just hung out with the wrong crowd. Although, all of that speculation could also just be wishful thinking so she sat there and studied him for a moment while she comprised an answer.

"The conversation was a little lacking." Cagalli shrugged.

"That's right, Athrun is under house arrest until further notice." Dearka bobbed his head in a nod.

"He is. How did you know?"

"Small school."

Cagalli went back to studying him in an attempt to possibly read his mind or get a sense for if he was being honest or just polite. "It isn't that small."

"He and I have first period together."

"That's news."

"You two spend more time locking lips that actually using them to talk?"

"Just because we are in your house and your parents are ten feet away doesn't mean I won't smack you for being a jerk."

He lifted his hands in surrender. "My apologies."

"Why are you being so … normal?"

"Contrary to what you may believe, I am a nice guy." He shrugged. He noted the obvious disbelief in Cagalli's eyes and rolled his own. "Yzak and I have been friends for years but he was always smarter and stronger than I was so somehow I became one of his underlings. He and Auel could be twins. I, on the other hand, prefer spending my time away from them as much as possible."

"Seriously? That's your sad story?"

He narrowed his eyes. "You're so cynical."

"I'm aware."

"I have a friend in freshman year who says you have quite the nice streak though." He grinned

Cagalli shot him a curious glance. "And who is this friend?"

"Nicol. He and Shinn are in one of your classes but Shinn and I don't get along too well so I don't really mingle with them."

"And why is that? I don't think Shinn's all that bad?"

"That girl, Stellar, that he is always fawning over is pretty close to Auel. However, Auel can't stand Shinn and since Auel and Yzak are buds – even though I have no idea how that happened – Stellar tends to spend a lot of time around me in particular. I may have, once upon a time, made a pass at her and somehow it got back to Shinn, hence the reason he and I don't see eye to eye."

"Basically, you're a pervert? I've met Stellar, only something completely crude would warrant her gossiping about it."

Dearka blushed slightly. "It may have been a little … unnecessary."

"Pervert."

"Cynic."

"Supper is ready!" Mrs. Elsman chimed from the kitchen.

Dearka rose before Cagalli had a chance to say anything back and led her in to the dining room where now both Dearka's Mom and Dad were present. Mr. Elsman was a man who looked like he could be comfortable in sweats and a loose t-shirt one second and then an Armani suit the next which made him a little intimidating. He had the same physical attributes as his son, honey blonde hair, violet eyes, tall stature and broad shoulders. In Cagalli's opinion, he was quite a dashing man and she was starting to wonder how Dearka got to be the pain in the ass that he was.

"Hello there." Mr. Elsman smirked at her and then stared curiously at Dearka as he dropped himself in the seat next to him. "She your girlfriend?"

Her jaw almost flew away as she shook her head in a vigorous no. Mrs. Elsman chuckled softly under her breath while Dearka just smirked and shook his head once for a no. He looked at her with an amused glint to his eye and then went on to talk to his parents about school, and they about work, for the remainder of the meal. Cagalli responded as politely as she could when asked a question but for the most part concentrated on getting done with the meal so she could escape. Dearka being nice to her weirded her out more than Jason in his hockey mask or any horror movie she had ever watched.

A large span of time passed between the moment she had bailed from Kira's car and Mrs. Elsman was clearing the dessert plates. By that time Cagalli was certain she was going to be grounded for an extended period of time considering she had just run off during the time of which she was supposed to be going straight home. For all the Yamato's knew she could have been over at Athrun's right now or at some underground club getting high with vampires.

"I'm sorry to eat and run but I really should get going. Thank you so much for supper Mrs. Elsman." Cagalli smiled as big as she could.

"Oh don't be silly. It's nice to see Dearka interacting with a much … nicer – or I mean – a female amongst his class." Her cheeks were tinted pink for a moment.

"It's pouring outside. Dearka, give Cagalli a lift home, you can take my car."

"Oh that's not necessary!" Cagalli tossed her hands up.

"Don't be like that, Cagalli, wouldn't want you to melt." Dearka was already pulling on his coat as his father tossed a set of keys at him. "Shall we?"

Cagalli groaned inwardly and followed Dearka out in to the carport and watched as heavy sheets of autumn rain pounded the pavement. She didn't care. Walking in the rain would be the same type of torment as getting in to any vehicle with Dearka. She was about to protest again when he opened the passenger door for her and indicated for her to climb in. His father's car was actually a truck. Cagalli gawked at the step up in to the cab as Dearka stood there waiting for her to climb on up.

"I can walk."

"No you can't or I'll get my butt kicked."

"Dad's the chivalrous type I take it?"

"Mom actually and they're watching." Dearka gestured with his chin to a smaller window next to the carport garage where his mom was standing.

"Fine." With a roll of her eyes, and a groan that rattled her rib cage, Cagalli climbed up in to the cab of the truck and waited as Dearka dropped himself in to the driver's seat. Without the radio on the silence was more irritating that uncomfortable.

"So why were you out on my front lawn again?" Dearka asked as they pulled out of the driveway.

"My house is -"

"I know where you live." Dearka blushed and stammered on. "I mean, I've been to Kira's before – when we were little."

A little smirk tugged at Cagalli's lips. "Stalking isn't an attractive quality in any man."

"I wasn't stalking you."

"I meant Kira but it's still nice to know."

"You really are hard to talk to."

"Did the little voice in your head agree with you?"

He slammed the brake down as they approached a stop sign and turned his narrowed gaze on her. "You think that I'm this jackass just because of the people I associate myself with when in reality you're just a bitch. I haven't done anything to you today to warrant an attack on my person the way you are right now so I would very much like you to either keep your opinions to yourself or at least pretend to be normal."

"I think I'll just get out and walk."

He hit the child lock on the doors so Cagalli couldn't slide out in to the rain. "You can dish it but you can't take it?"

"I don't like you."

"I don't like you either."

"Then I guess we understand each other."

"No, we don't." Dearka growled and accelerated at the same time. "I am friends with Yzak because he and I have been friends since we were young not because I love how much of a dick he can be. I enjoy having a good time and letting loose and with Yzak around I can be a giant idiot and nobody notices because he's hogging all the attention by being a jerk. You on the other hand are cold, distant and have quite the mouth on you but everybody just loves you so much. I don't get it."

"I don't torment people for the fun of it."

He shook his head. "From what I hear you have a full time job of tormenting yourself."

She glared at him. "And exactly who have you been talking to?"

"Confidential."

"You're going to tell me or I'll -"

"You'll what? Pull an Yzak and beat it out of me? C'mon Cagalli, you're not like that. I talk to Athrun, okay? I like him. He doesn't bitch and moan all day and he can form a conversation easily without resorting to any petty shit. The only reason I was at his party was because Mirriallia invited me."

"Mirr? What?"

"I talk to people. I like talking. I also like girls, parties, sports and having a good time without people telling me what to do. I like Athrun and he likes you so by default I figured I should try to get to know you and make up my own mind about you rather than what Yzak and Auel think of you. Oh and for the record, Stellar likes you but, Yzak and Auel think you're just another pain in the ass like Kira is."

"I'm nothing like Kira."

"I wouldn't know." Dearka shrugged and turned down her street. "I don't know Kira very well either."

"I thought you said you two used to hang out together when you were younger?"

"We did. Yzak and I were neighbors though and his parents and the Yamato's don't get along all too well."

"So what? You willed me to show up on your front lawn today just so you could get to know me? Did you also tell Kira to say all that shit to me?"

"What shit?" Dearka slowed at the stop sign before the bend in the street that flowed in to the Yamato driveway.

"Nothing. Tell your mother I enjoyed supper and tell her thank you for me."

"Ok." He pulled up in to the drive behind Kira's car. "Still think I'm such a bad guy?"

"Depends on a few things."

"Like?"

"Why would Mirriallia invite you to a party at Athrun's?"

He blushed. "She had her reasons."

"Aren't she and Tolle a thing?"

"I don't' know. If you remember, I'm not exactly one of your little Scooby gang, and the only time I really get to see her is Drama class."

"Hold up. You're in drama?" She smirked.

"Yes. I think your Dad – er – Mr. Yamato is standing in the doorway."

Cagalli stretched out to see up to the front door and sure enough Kira's dad was standing there with his arms folded over his chest in a disapproving way. "Damn."

"Are you going to be in trouble?"

"You care?"

"My mom forced you to stay for supper. I care about her embarrassing me."

"Yes, I am probably in some trouble."

He nodded in silence. "I'll see you at school."

"Probably. Bye." She jumped out of the truck and in to the rain and bolted for the front door.

"You're late." Mr. Yamato muttered.

"Sorry."

"Cagalli, I think we need to have a little chat about what being grounded means in this house."

"Oh I know it's just that Kira and I had a little disagreement and I needed to get out of the car and I ended up at the Elsman house and his mother forced supper upon me and I really only got away …"

"No one forces us to do anything Cagalli." Mr. Yamato stared down at her with the most amount of disappointment in his features Cagalli had ever seen.

"Oh Cagalli! Where have you been?" Mrs. Yamato charged in to the room in a flourish and latched on to Cagalli in a tight hug.

"Apparently she was being forced to eat."

"That's nonsense." Mrs. Yamato smiled her motherly grin down at Cagalli. It was more of a warning than a sign of affection.

"Where's Kira?" Cagalli whispered.

"Kira, is in his room. Much like you should be, in your room, considering you are also likewise grounded."

The phone jingled in the background and Mrs. Yamato turned to answer it on the little desk in the hallway. While she was gone Mr. Yamato led Cagalli up to her bedroom and stood up against the wall as he waited for his wife to join him. All the while he watched as Cagalli fidgeted with her backpack that someone had deposited in her room unceremoniously. When Mrs. Yamato returned she looked a little frazzled.

"Who was that?" Mr. Yamato exchanged glances with her.

"Mrs. Elsman. She would like to apologize for keeping Cagalli so long but she just had to meet one of Dearka's female classmates since she apparently has met so few of them."

"Are you and Dearka friends, Cagalli?" Mr. Yamato stared at her a bit quizzically.

She shook her head. "Can't say that we are but like I said, Kira and I had a little sibling spat and I bailed and somehow ended up in their front yard. She invited me to stay for supper and I tried to refuse but I just couldn't."

Mr. Yamato sighed. "Alright. What was this spat you had with Kira?"

"Nothing."

"You can tell us dear." Mrs. Yamato sank down on to the edge of the bed next to her.

"No, it was just about nothing. We have these little arguments every now and then, I guess it's just sibling rivalry or something like that."

Both of them exchange a curious glance and then seemed to figure it was best just to let it be and let themselves out. Not two seconds later Kira was flying in to her room.

"I'm sorry. What I said was insensitive and rude and I had no right."

"At least you know."

"Thanks for not ratting me out."

"Why would I do that? So they could know that I've been pouting _outside_ of the house too? Don't think so. Your mom already thinks I should be seeing a shrink on a regular basis."

"Ok." Kira shoved his hands in to his pockets of his jeans. "You ended up at Dearka's, hm?"

"I did. It was strange as hell."

"I can only imagine. He's always been a strange guy."

"Do you think he's a jerk like Yzak?"

"Dearka? No. I think that everyone thinks he's a jerk because of the fact that he is friends with Yzak. Dearka's just a clown. Harmless really. Why?"

"He and Athrun talk about me."

"How so?"

"Do you and Athrun talk?"

"Sure. He and I aren't really all that close but we talk about school and stuff. I found out that he and I went to the same pre-school together when his parents first lived here. That house he lives in, it was actually a part of his birth Mother's parent's estate, well the land was anyway."

"So you two do talk."

"No. That's what he told Lacus."

"Those two seem awfully chummy."

"I know. It bugs me."

"What? Are you jealous?"

He shook his head in an attempt to hide the fact that he was blushing but Cagalli knew him better than that. "I am not."

"You are too. Why?"

"I don't know. I'm not even really all that jealous I guess I just wish I knew she talked about me like that."

"She does, occasionally, but Athrun is shiny and new right now. Everyone at that school is talking about him and will probably still be talking about him until another new student moves in or until someone gets pregnant. It is just the way teenage gossip works."

"How do you know this stuff? You and I are the same age and in the same grade and yet I have none of this knowledge."

"Chick magazines." She shrugged with a smile.

"You know, I like having a sister."

"Good, cause you're kinda stuck with me."

He turned to leave but stopped just short of the threshold. "Hey Cag, if you could find our birthmother, would you?"

Cagalli felt her heart slow and a chill run up her spine as she stared at the chocolate brown hair on the back of her brother's head. "Why do you ask?"

"I just thought maybe she could explain to us why she split us up. Maybe it would help."

"Kira, it won't."

His shoulders sagged a bit. "You're probably right. Good night Cagalli."

"Night Kira." With that he was gone and the strangest day of the year had come to an end.

**::/Note::/ so I would just like to start by saying that I LOVE reading your comments and reviews! They make me smile. The increase of people favoring this story also makes me incredibly happy. So keep em coming and I will get chapter 15 up in a jiffy! (with or without them ;) )**


	15. Chapter 15

**::/::Note::/:: I bet you're thinking … "whaaat? Doesn't this normally come at the end? Did I already read this chapter? Am I going crazy?" … well no. I thought I would take this time just to say that if you've been reading up to this point THANK YOU. I started this fanfic a long time ago and lost the majority of it in an accident when my laptop was smashed. I'm starting over and I think it is fitting for the story line itself. So I would just like to say Thank You for sticking with me and I hope I've made this enjoyable to read. Also I am so terribly sorry about the wait between chapters but anyway … :) without further ado, I present to you, CHAPTER FIFTEEN. **

**Chapter Fifteen**

When Saturday evening rolled around Cagalli had begun to wonder whether or not Athrun had gotten around to talking to his parents about dinner Sunday night. She was honestly hoping that he hadn't. The last thing she wanted to do was have a sit down with her very newly acquainted friend, who was now her maybe-boyfriend, and eat with them. The Yamato's were very friendly people but after meeting with Mr. Zala, Cagalli was convinced there would be instant bad blood between them. They had completely different parenting views and values and not to mention came from very different academic and social backgrounds. For all she knew she would start her very own _Romeo and Juliet_ type feud in her small town.

When supper plates had been washed and put away she was convinced that Athrun had forgotten all about it and his parents had just figured that it wasn't going to work out so she relaxed on the chair in the den with one of her textbooks. She was halfway through her homework from Biology when the phone rang and every hair on her arms rose to attention. Mrs. Yamato answered the phone in her 'I-don't-know-this-number' voice which was friendly and weary all in the same breath. Cagalli felt her own breath hitch. If it was Mr. or even Mrs. Zala calling about dinner she was going to pass out, there was no question about that.

From where she sat in the den she couldn't hear the conversation only the soft sound of Mrs. Yamato talking nonchalantly with the person on the other end. Cagalli heard the rustle of her day planner being pulled from the cubby next to the phone. Every sound was magnified including the blood rushing through her ears as she strained to hear any part of the conversation without moving herself to eavesdrop around the corner. By the time she gave up and moved to the edge of the room the conversation had come to a close and Mrs. Yamato turned down the hall to the study where Kira's dad had been working all day. _'Dammit.'_

It was on.

She raced upstairs and pulled on her pyjamas and quickly messed up her hair and washed her face before jumping in to her bed and pulled the covers high over her head. If they thought she was asleep maybe they would just decide that this weekend wasn't the best idea and move on because they wouldn't wake her up from her peaceful state, would they? Cagalli snuggled deep in to the mattress when she heard them ascending the stairs to her bedroom and knocked gently on her door. It took all she had not to respond in any way; including controlling the slow, rhythmic breathing she had become pro at faking.

"Cagalli?" Mrs. Yamato called as she opened the bedroom door. A small shaft of a light from the hallway lit up a strip on the carpet next to her bed. "Oh. She's asleep."

"Wasn't she just doing homework in the den fifteen minutes ago?" Mr. Yamato's voice was just above a whisper.

"Perhaps she was tired."

"She hasn't done anything all day to be tired."

"Now be nice. Teenagers have strange sleeping schedules, I mean Kira's been between napping and eating all day today."

"He's a boy, Caridad." Mr. Yamato's voice had a hint of humor in it which made Cagalli stifle her own snort of laughter.

"Nonsense. Teenagers are teenagers."

Footsteps approached her bed and she felt the edge of the mattress sink under someone's weight and then a hand nudged her slightly. "Cagalli, we need to talk to you." Mr. Yamato's gruff voice filled the room and he gave her one last light shove before she forced herself to fake a dramatic wake up.

"Huh? What?" Cagalli rubbed her eyes as part of the ruse.

"We need to talk sweetheart." Mrs. Yamato sank down on the mattress on the other side of Cagalli and ran a hand quickly through her messy hair. "Mrs. Zala just called and invited us all over their house tomorrow for dinner."

Cagalli nodded.

"Now, you're still grounded until Monday but Haruma and I were talking and we would like to get to know the Zalas if Athrun is going to be spending more time with you once his punishment is over. If you don't want to do it that is ok too."

Very quickly she glanced between her guardians and tried to put an answer together as quickly as possible. She couldn't think of a good reason to say no other than she _was_ still grounded and so was Athrun, and then there was the fact that she just really didn`t want to have to suffer through a dinner with people she didn`t know well. She shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Excellent. I will call her back right now!" Mrs. Yamato almost ran from the room she was so excited but Cagalli and Mr. Yamato just exchanged a tired glance before he got up and left. Sleep was not in the cards.

_It was quiet all around. The tall blades of grass brushed the pale blue of the afternoon sky leaving behind puffy smears of clouds in their wake. Cicadas sang along the creek while blue birds built their nests and interrupted the peace and quiet with their conversing. It was a beautiful spring afternoon. Cagalli had never had one quite like it before so she knew she must have been dreaming. Upon rolling over she could see Kira sitting hunched over at the edge of the creek watching the water roll over the polished stones embedded in the river bed. He was poking a stick in the mud drawing unimportant doodles in the thick sand. She touched his shoulder with the softness of his fingertips and he turned to her with the saddest expression he had ever worn. Her heart took a nose dive and she curled up against him, hugging her brother to her in an effort to comfort him. _

_ 'Why are you so sad?'_

_ 'I need to know.'_

_ 'Know what?'_

_ 'Why?'_

_ 'Why what?'_

_ 'You know why.' Kira's violet eyes held a storm of emotions that smudged out the afternoon sky with darkness in the form of misery, suffocating every living thing in their path. _

Cagalli awoke with a jolt and stared at the red numbers on her alarm clock. It was a little after eleven in the morning which meant that the Yamato's had let her sleep in. The house was silent. It was a blessing. She removed herself from the tangle of her sheets and poked her head out in to the hallway. Being grounded meant she and Kira couldn't watch TV, play video games or use the computer for anything other than school work so the house had been extremely quiet for the past week. Not to mention the level of homework getting finished increased significantly, so much so that Mrs. Yamato had actually made a joke one night about keeping us on permanent grounding. Cagalli had a feeling that it wouldn't work as well as she thought.

She strolled down the stairs in to the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal before returning to her bedroom to eat and finish up the last of her biology homework before anyone came to get her. There was a good possibility that Kira was still asleep but as far as his parents, Cagalli had no idea what they were up to. It was awfully quiet for them to still be in the house so it was possible they were out in the garden getting everything ready for winter like they were yesterday morning. Shrugging it off she scarfed down her cereal and started herself a hot bath which felt like heaven after such a rough sleep.

After weeks of antagonizing nightmares about her Father, having one that featured Kira made her a little uneasy and slightly relieved at the same time. She knew that the dream was about Kira's little comment about finding their biological parents but she just didn't think that it was a good time to go out hunting for them. Her Father, the one who had raised her from a baby, had died and she was just starting to get comfortable around the Yamatos. It wasn't like she called them Mom and Dad or anything, but she was getting to the point where she didn't feel like she had to call them Ma'am and Sir anymore. She relaxed down in to the steamy water of her bath and closed her eyes. It was almost as good as a sauna. It was a good thing she was relaxing now because that evening was going to be the most stressful thing she was going to have to do in a long time. The last time she had had a dinner with anyone other than the Yamatos had been the supper served after her Father's service, it had been a quiet meal with polite conversational exchange but it had also been very painful and she hadn't eating a bite. Hopefully dinners with a potential boyfriend's family wasn't the same thing or at least there would be less crying going on.

"Cagalli, are you in there?"

"Nope, just Casper."

"I need the bathroom." Kira banged on the door.

"Use the one in the basement."

"I don't want to. It smells bad and it's cold."

"Well this one smells delightful and is very warm but it is _taken_. Go away!"

She listened for his retreating footsteps and relaxed back in to the bath water. It was pretty gross. It had a slight grey hue to it now and the temperature had dropped significantly. She stepped out of the bathtub and went about her routine and only when she was finished did she drain the tub and instantly Kira was back to pounding on the bathroom door. "You are so predictable." She smirked as she opened the door with her hair done and a light coating of foundation applied to her face.

"And you are an evil twin."

"Everyone has one."

Kira smiled at her as he locked the bathroom door while Cagalli just started laughing. The basement bathroom was perfectly fine it just lacked a few things in the décor area, like a ceiling, but that was minor. The whole house had been recently renovated, well at least it had been before Cagalli had moved in and they needed to fix her a bedroom, so the majority of the house was beautifully decorated. Cagalli pulled on a thick, wool sweater that Mrs. Yamato had bought her for Christmas last year and a pair of black jeans. It looked nice enough that she was sure that no one would complain about it at dinner. She trotted down the stairs to Mrs. Yamato dressed in khakis and a pink sweater and a pair of black, ankle-high, hiking boots covered in mud. She smiled at Cagalli as she dropped off the last step.

"Hello dear. You look," she gave Cagalli a once over, "nice."

"Thanks. You look, muddy." Cagalli smirked.

Mrs. Yamato glanced down to her dirty knees and boots. "Oh yes. We were just cleaning up a few things in the backyard. I was thinking we could go for a quick shopping trip this afternoon for something for you to wear tonight."

Cagalli glanced down at herself. "This won't work?"

Mrs. Yamato shook her head. "I think we should get you something pretty for this evening, it's not like we go out for dinner with your friend's parents that often."

"Pretty? You don't mean a dress do you? I don't do dresses. Can't I just wear this?" Cagalli's voice was breeching on panic.

"No dresses, maybe just a nice blouse and some dress pants. How do you feel about heels?"

"I don't."

"Oh Cagalli." Mrs. Yamato took a step towards her and brushed the blonde hair from her face. "You're such a pretty girl, imagine what we could do with that."

"Please don't."

"Oh sweetheart." Mrs. Yamato cooed.

"Hey mom." Kira bounced down the stairs. "Are we still doing supper tonight?"

"Yes dear." Kira planted a kiss on his mom's cheek and kept going in to the kitchen.

"About shopping …"

Supper was in twenty minutes. Kira was wearing a nice blazer with a red t-shirt and a pair of dark wash jeans while Cagalli had been forced in to a pair of black dress pants with a wide leg that gave the appearance of a long skirt if she stood with her legs close together, and a dark green, cashmere sweater. It was uncomfortable. They were on their way to the Zala house, Kira and his dad were talking about some game on TV that had happened last night, while Mrs. Yamato sat quietly in the front seat listening to the radio. Cagalli leaned her head against the window and stared out at the trees closing in around the car as the passed down the lane to the Zala house.

It loomed up over the driveway with the sun setting far behind it casting eerie shadows from the trees across windows and the rest of the house. It looked like a fortress surrounded by a moat of early evening shadows that consumed the front yard as they pulled up to park in the darkness the house cast over them. The car silenced and Mrs. Yamato stepped out just after Mr. Yamato and Kira dropped out of the vehicle which left Cagalli sitting in the backseat staring at them as they stretched and began to make their way to the front door. Mrs. Yamato turned around and opened the car door for Cagalli wearing a sweet smile. Dread had settled in.

They walked up to the front door and the bell echoed from within the house so loudly they could hear it out on the front step. There was the sound of footsteps and the door opened to Mrs. Zala in an apron, not exactly the attire Cagalli ever pictured her in. With a gleaming smile, and impeccably well done hair, she welcomed them in and ushered them in to the den where Cagalli and Athrun had sat not that long ago. A light blush crept across her cheeks as she saw Athrun sitting on the exact couch they had been sitting on while his Father sat in a chair across from him. They both stood when the Yamatos and Cagalli entered the room. Mr. Zala shook hands and welcomed them and insisted that they sit and offered them all drinks. Cagalli sat in between Mr. Yamato and Kira on one of the couches that faced the window that looked out to the backyard and the lake. Athrun was replacing the book he had been reading, one for pleasure rather than homework, and sat awkwardly next to his Dad while Mrs. Yamato helped Mrs. Zala in the kitchen.

There was a soft clatter of dishes and the smell of food cooking wafting in to the den and a small part of Cagalli wanted nothing more than to pretend to help them out just to avoid the awkward silence filling the room. Mr. Yamato finally started up the conversation asking normal question about what Mr. Zala did and how he was enjoying living in the house which turned in to how many square feet the house was and on how many acres the house sat on and on and on they went. Cagalli and Kira glanced back and forth at each other as they obviously tried to find something to strike up a conversation on with Athrun, even if Athrun's attention was pulled towards his Father's conversation unbidden.

"Supper is ready!" Mrs. Zala announced with a glass of wine in her hand and a bit of pasta sauce on her face. Mrs. Yamato was standing next to her with an identical glass of wine in her hand and a less enthusiastic smile on her face. With a greater amount of enthusiasm then necessary, they all gathered up around the table and sat down the first course of a light salad. Cagalli felt the awkward silence creep over the ground once more until the bottle of wine was emptied and the second bottle was uncorked.

"Cagalli, you've been very quiet tonight." Mrs. Zala smiled at her with rosy cheeks.

"The food is just so delicious I didn't want to ruin it by talking." Cagalli smiled politely. Kira and Mr. Yamato gave her a strange look.

"Well aren't you just adorable." Mrs. Zala grinned. "Athrun talks about you constantly but he never mentioned how sweet you were."

Cagalli shot Athrun a strangled look. It was intended to be a questioning glare but she softened it because of the setting. "Well, that's disappointing."

"That is." Mrs. Yamato cleared her throat. "I've hardly heard anything about Athrun other than the night he was over at your house watching movies with the kids."

Mrs. Zala smiled. "Oh I heard about that! Ghostbusters." She winked at Athrun who blushed instantly.

"Mom." Kira glanced up at his mother with a warning tone.

Mrs. Yamato went back to eating her chicken while Mr. Yamato and Mr. Zala continued on their earlier conversation about building houses and large plots of land that would be perfect for building a new family home. They carried on their conversation about renovation and the recent ones done to the Yamato house. Mrs. Zala nibbled politely at her food and nodded when Mr. Zala directed a question towards her when he wasn't sure about paint colors.

Cagalli was full. Before dessert was even brought out she knew she wouldn't be able to stomach anything more. Athrun was making a strange motion with his head that Cagalli caught out of the corner of her eye while Kira finished scarfing done the remaining food on his plate and eyed the leftovers on Cagalli's. She didn't even attempt to dissuade him from her plate, she figured since they were at someone else's house that he would refrain, instead Cagalli wiped her mouth with her serviette and cleared her throat politely.

"Where is the washroom?" She was looking directly at Mrs. Zala with a slight smile on her face.

Mrs. Zala hurriedly swallowed down her food to answer but Athrun was quicker to reply. "I'll show you." He shot out of his chair and walked over to pull out Cagalli's and led her out of the dining room and out in to a quiet hallway where she could clearly see the bathroom door. She started walking towards it but Athrun pulled her in to a room just a door done and closed the door quietly behind her.

"We have about a minute before my dad comes looking for me." He smiled.

"A minute? What are you doing? I really had to use the bathroom." Cagalli screwed up her nose.

"Really? You didn't catch me suggesting – never mind. My parents are thinking about letting me off my house arrest early since Tolle came by the other day to apologize for his behaviour." Cagalli shot him a look of surprise. "So I thought you and I could go out Wednesday night."

"Wednesday? You're free?"

Athrun nodded excitedly. "I am."

"I believe we had an agreement, Athrun." Cagalli winked.

"The dress, right, I nearly forgot all about that. I think that can wait though since I'm thinking a more casual attire would be appropriate this time around."

"I can do casual. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to use the washroom." Cagalli removed herself from the room and shut the bathroom door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. Athrun wasn't grounded anymore and neither was she and on Wednesday she would find out exactly where this whole boy thing got its appeal from. She was a little excited and a whole lot nervous, so nervous it took her ten minutes to get back to the table so she wouldn't be shivering with anticipating while the others ate their dessert. The rest of the evening passed by without a hitch and that night Cagalli fell in to bed with ease.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Cagalli rolled over and slammed her hand down on her alarm clock. The last day of her punishment was upon her and it tasted bitter. She had bit her cheek in her sleep and the salty taste of blood had filled her mouth unbidden. With a flourish of blankets being tossed off the bed she forced herself up and in to the bathroom to clean her mouth out and grab a quick shower before anyone else could hog the bathroom. Mondays were hell in the Yamato house. Kira always slept late and then was in a monumental hurry to be out the door at least half an hour before he actually had to be while his parents seemed to follow the same pattern. '_I guess some habits and traits are learned not inherited.'_

Her shower was short enough that Kira was still asleep by the time she had pulled on her jeans and brushed out her tangled mass of hair. The peace in the house didn't last for long however, Kira and his dad both woke at the same time and argued over who got to shower first while Mrs. Yamato slid in without either of them knowing. She was definitely sneaky. Cagalli made her way down to the kitchen and made herself toast and grabbed an apple. Technically she wasn't grounded any more so that meant she could get herself to school without worrying about snagging a ride from Kira or his parents.

"I'm heading out!" Cagalli called as a good-bye.

Mrs. Yamato poked her head around the wall of the hallway that led in to the kitchen. "You don't want a ride?"

"No. I think I'll walk it today."

"What about Kira?"

It was too early in the morning for Cagalli to roll her eyes. "He's a big boy with a car, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Mrs. Yamato gave her a disapproving look for the snide comment but shrugged it off. "Will you be home right after school?"

Cagalli shuddered. "No. I have … plans."

That piqued her interest and she slid on to one of the stools, in her bathrobe, up under the breakfast bar. She let her head rest on her balled up fists and stared Cagalli down. "What kind of plans? From what I understand Athrun is still very much under house arrest until further notice."

Cagalli took another step to the door. "Just out with a few freshmen, pizza, nothing special. That is okay, right?"

Mrs. Yamato's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful! Go enjoy yourself! Eat till you pop." She tossed her arms around Cagalli in a tight and somewhat damp hug. "Have a good day dear."

Cagalli stopped briefly to give her a strange look before letting herself out of the house and out in to the crisp autumn morning. The early sun on her skin felt strangely like freedom which she planned on enjoying. The walk to school would take her about half an hour so it was a good time to clear her head and enjoy being alone because the second she walked in to the doors of her Communications class she would be screwed. There would be no getting out of doing anything with those guys even if she begged – which she was fiercely against – but there was a part of her that didn't want out of it. A small part of Cagalli actually wanted a night out that didn't include Kira and Lacus making goo-goo eyes at each other all night long. _'Okay. So maybe a small part of me is looking forward to it but no one has to know that.'_

Cagalli was sitting alone at her station in the Biology classroom playing with one of several test tubes the teacher had placed before her during the short break between classes. The tube was filled with a light blue liquid that moved around like Jell-O in its glass encasement. When Athrun snuck up behind her and offered her a happy greeting she nearly dropped the damn thing on the table top.

"Jeez! A little warning would be nice!"

He shrugged. "Sorry. I don't think you're supposed to be playing with that anyway." Athrun glanced up at the teacher who had been giving Cagalli the stink eye for god knows how long now.

Cagalli placed the tube back gently and smiled a half-apologetic grin towards the teacher before turning her whole attention back to Athrun, just like a devout, giddy, school girl should when a cute guy sits next to her. He kissed her cheek quickly before taking up one of her hands in his own. A crimson blush had quickly painted its way across her cheeks and up to her ears before the entire class filed in all at once. "I missed you." He whispered in her ear a second before the teacher started rattling off the day's assignment. Cagalli silently cursed him for dragging her attention away so abruptly considering she really did need to bring her grade up just a smidge – only in all her classes.

The class passed painlessly with a hands-on experiment which she and Athrun fumbled through to the very end and still managed to get the correct results. It was like a bad scene from an even worse chick flick and yet Cagalli found herself revelling in it. When the bell went she felt a prick of sadness slink its way through her limbs as they packed up and started their exit from the classroom. She glanced up at Athrun who was shoving his textbook in to his backpack as she slung hers over her shoulder.

"I'm going for pizza tonight with the freshman group."

Athrun nodded. "So you're actually going to go then?"

"I am. Kira's mom was pretty excited that I was going out." Cagalli shrugged.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall opposite their table. "I bet she was." He shrugged on his backpack before turning his whole attention back to Cagalli and ushered her out to the hallway. "I will see you math class." He bent and quickly kissed her cheek before jaunting down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Wow, you've already got him running away from you." Meer's snide voice overran her senses.

Cagalli spun on her heels with her fists balled up at her side. "You realize that there isn't one person in this hallway right now that would stop me from slapping you silly, right?"

Meer cast a slow, uninterested glance around the bustling hallway. "Like I care."

"Then why exactly are you standing here?"

"Just thought I'd watch the view." She lifted her chin indicating Athrun's leave.

"You can watch all you want," Cagalli smirked, "but don't touch or I'll rip your pretty hair out."

"So much violence." Meer tsked before flipping her fluffy hair over her shoulder and sauntered down the hall a ways to where Yzak and his little posse had congregated. Cagalli glared at them before making her way down the hall to the library.

"Meer get under your skin again?" Dearka was following after her in to the library.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Cagalli shot a furtive glance around the quiet space of the library and the mostly empty hallway outside the door. She took a wide step away from him back in to the library.

"Didn't you take health? Biology? You see, when two people get together –"

"Stop! I do not want that image in my head!" Cagalli snapped but Dearka just smirked at her.

"You asked."

"And I regret it already so let me reword my question. Are you following me?"

Dearka grinned and shook his head. Lifting a textbook and a notebook he started walking towards a vacant table and nestled in to do homework. "Schoolwork."

"So this is just a _happy_ coincidence?" Cagalli rolled her eyes in disbelief before locating a separate table as far from Dearka and the librarians as she could get. Dearka watched her take her seat, it was a small library, and continued to do so for a few minutes before getting to his homework. _'Freak.' _ She popped in her earphones and went to work on the math homework she had forgotten about and quickly finished off the questions she hadn't had a chance to get to in class. They were doing accounting which she found fairly simple so she wasn't surprised that she had forgotten all about it or that she had gotten the majority of it done in class on the day it was handed out.

Cagalli looked up to see Dearka hovering over her desk causing her to nearly jump out of her skin and go running for the Antarctic. She yanked her earphones out of her ears and glared at him so furiously that she was sure he would leave, but alas, that was not the case. Instead he stood there and met her glare with a curious stare wearing that same irritating smirk. "What do you want?"

"Do you have the assignment for math finished?"

"I do."

"Could I ask a favor?"

"No."

"I was just going to ask for help on it."

Cagalli was struck aback. She thought for sure that he was going to ask to copy her answers or at least intimidate her in to giving him her assignment for his own. Maybe she really was wrong about him and it was just Yzak that thought he ruled the world. "I guess I could do that."

"Thanks." His grin widened before he scurried back to his seat where he gathered his things and then dropped them next to her. His assignment sheet was riddled with numerous calculations – all incorrect – and little drawings that were slightly degrading.

"You haven't got any of these right." Cagalli rolled her eyes.

"Great." He genuinely sounded upset about his lack of intelligence, another thing Cagalli figured he was just faking.

"I can help." She tugged the assignment in between them and proceeded to reteach everything their teacher had attempted last week in the most dumbed down way she could manage. Not that she was a brainiac or anything but Cagalli found two things in life very simple, math and problem solving, and Dearka had offered her both.

"So should we go right after school?" Luna was fiddling with the cord of her mouse.

Shinn shrugged. "Cagalli?"

"I'm starving so I think that would be a great idea."

"Am I still invited, Shinn?" Stellar batted her eyelashes in his direction. He leaned back, trying to look cool, and gave her a swift nod. Both Luna and Cagalli rolled their eyes and went back to their assignment.

"Cagalli, what's your deal with Dearka?" Stellar poked at a key lazily.

"He's one of Athrun's friends." Cagalli was trying to get a part of her programming to work but the coding was in backwards.

"You two seemed awfully cozy in the library today." She giggled which drove Cagalli further in to irritation.

"I was helping him with a math problem."

"Dearka needed help with math?" Now Shinn was curious. "Doesn't he have like an A+ in that class?"

Cagalli lifted her eyes from the computer screen and locked eyes with Shinn. "Honestly?"

"Pretty sure." Shinn shrugged.

"Maybe he was just trying to get close to you." Stellar winked only pushing Cagalli deeper.

"If that's the case, it was time well wasted."

"That's right." Luna beamed. "You're dating Athrun right? He's so cute."

"Geez Luna, just hit on her boyfriend right in front of her." Stellar rolled her eyes.

"Shut up Stellar." Luna glared at her.

"Ok. Everyone settle down." Mr. DaCosta cleared his throat. The room silenced for a bit.

"So what kind of pizza should we get?" Luna whispered to Cagalli causing a little smile to spread across her lips.

"I'll be right there." Cagalli was walking to her locker while the others gathered their things before they went out for pizza. To her surprise Athrun was waiting for her leaning up against the locker next to hers. "Hello there."

"Whatchya doin'?"

She grinned. "Going for pizza. What about you?"

"Waiting for Dearka."

"Why?"

"We are working on an assignment at my place tonight."

"Fun."

"Where are you going for pizza?"

"Sal's."

"Sounds … Sicilian."

"Probably but I don't tend to care when pizza is involved." She grinned.

"You're pretty awesome, you know." Athrun's laugh was low and quite pleasant.

"Thanks. I know."

"And super modest."

"As always."

"Hey man. Sorry I'm late."

Cagalli whirled around. "You're a lying sack of crap." She glared at him.

"Where did that come from?" Athrun's eyes were bigger than the sockets they were bulging from.

"He said he needed help with a math assignment on my spare today and then I find out that he's acing the course."

Dearka folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe I am."

"Then why ask her for help?" Athrun was now in on this.

"Because accounting is not my strong suit and I needed help." He held up his hands, three fingers up and placed his opposite hand on his chest over his heart. "Scout's honor."

"Probably not a scout either." Cagalli snorted. "I got to go though."

Athrun seemed a little baffled at her change of pace so suddenly. "Uh ok."

"Talk to you tomorrow." She leaned in quickly as kissed his cheek before running down the hall. She glanced back once to see Athrun and Dearka standing in an awkward silence watching her go, it was a little unsettling.

"Who ate the last slice?"

"Don't look at me." Stellar sipped her diet soda.

"I did." Shinn grinned before burping.

"Gross dude." Cagalli smirked. She'd been living with Kira for so long that burping wasn't at all disturbing but she was a little pissed that he'd eaten the last piece of this pizza and the other one they had ordered as well. "Do boys ever stop eating?"

Shinn shook his head. "Never. Soon the world will run out of food because of teenage boys everywhere." His tone sounded more serious than joking.

"How do you not gain any weight?" Luna picked at the piece she still had on her plate.

"Obviously he works out." Stellar leaned in and plucked a stray pepperoni off the pizza dish.

"So exactly why did you come out with us if you didn't want to eat the pizza?" Cagalli downed the rest of her soda.

"I like observing."

"Observing what?" Cagalli narrowed her eyes. Stellar grinned wickedly before excusing herself to the washroom, Luna followed after her obediently.

"What's with the whole going to the bathroom in pairs thing?" Shinn burped again.

"Don't know. Personally, I like my privacy."

"It's just weird. Guys would never do that."

"Maybe not any of the guys you know." Cagalli smirked.

"Funny."

"I try."

"Wanna play darts?"

"I don't really think _play_ is the proper term. More like challenge, or duel, or … no that's all I've got."

"Hey, isn't that Athrun?"

Cagalli turned to look over her shoulder to see Athrun and Dearka walking in to Sal's together. Against her instinct she locked eyes with Dearka who alerted Athrun to her presence and they approached the booth together. Curiosity slammed painfully against the inside of her skull as Athrun slid in to the booth next to her.

"Hey."

"Hi?"

He looked up at Shinn who was sharing Cagalli's look of curiosity. "Is it just the two of you?"

"No. The girls are in the bathroom." Shinn answered for her.

Dearka squeezed in beside him. "Why do they do that?"

Shinn shrugged. "Don't know. Cagalli wasn't any help with that either."

Athrun slung his arm around Cagalli's shoulders and sank in to the booth seat. "I think it's a way to talk without the guys hearing them."

"Oh wise one." Dearka bowed over the table.

"Cute." Cagalli wrinkled up her nose. "Exactly how are you here?"

"You really have to stop asking that question." Dearka smirked.

"I'm doing schoolwork so my Mom said it was ok as long as my Dad never finds out." Athrun kissed her temple before flagging down the waitress.

"This seems like a bad idea." Cagalli looked up at him worriedly.

"Why?"

"Well it's not like we live in a big city or anything where no one would recognize you and not tattle."

"Is this you asking me to leave?"

"Well considering this was our celebration party, I think she might be." Shinn levelled a glare on Athrun before sliding it back to Dearka.

_'Oh no.'_

"We can go." Dearka shrugged. "There's another pizza place around the corner and they have better service and WIFI." Lucky for him the waitress was still caught up at another table out of earshot.

"I'll come join you when we're done here?" Cagalli looked up at him.

"Sure. If we're still there." He looked up at Dearka. "Give her your cell number so she can check first."

Dearka scribbled down his number on a napkin and slid it across the table to her but not before giving her a flirtatious smirk and winking as he maneuvered out of the booth, bumping in to Stellar as he did so. She gave him a disgusted look as he and Athrun walked out of the restaurant.

"What were _they_ doing here?" Stellar turned up her nose.

"Just visiting." Cagalli played with the straw in her drink as she stared at the entrance. _'I think.'_


End file.
